INGREDIENTS

1 2⁄3 cups plain flour
2 1⁄2 tablespoons marsala
2 eggs
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
1 litre vegetable oil

FILLING

250 g ricotta
3 tablespoons mascarpone
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped
candied citron 2 tablespoons chopped
candied lemon 2 tablespoons icing sugar

TO MAKE

To make the cannoli shells, put the flour, marsala, eggs, sugar and olive oil into a bowl and mix well. If a little wet, add a touch more flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll the pastry out on a pasta machine on the number 4 setting and cut into 7 cm × 7 cm squares.

Dust lightly with flour.Working with one piece at a time, fold the pastry squares around a cannoli tube (you can also use cannelloni pasta tubes), sticking the two corners together with a little bit of water.

Pour the vegetable oil into a large saucepan and place over high heat – the oil is ready when a small piece of pastry dropped in sizzles immediately. Fry the pastries (still wrapped around the tubes) a couple at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot.Turn these in the oil as needed until the cannoli are golden brown. Remove from the oil and wait until they are cool enough to remove from the tube. Drain on paper towel and set aside to cool.

Pass the ricotta through a drum sieve (or regular sieve) and put into a bowl. Add the mascarpone, lemon rind, candied citron and lemon, and icing sugar, and mix well. Put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the ricotta filling into the cannoli shells. Sprinkle the icing sugar on top and eat immediately.

Recipe from Antonio & Lucia: Recipes and Stories from my Australian Calabrian Kitchen by Riccardo Momesso. Published by Pan Macmillan.