Take Anything But Leave the Cannoli

California might be land of the "happy cow," but Sicily is the land of the ecstatic ewe.  I don't know what they are feeding the sheep here, but the sheep's milk ricotta is the best I've tasted anywhere.  Still cannoli are what they do best with this dense and creamy cheese that is slightly sweet on its own.  

When I was younger I would ask my grandmother to make cannoli and she refused saying the ricotta didn't taste right in the U.S.  My mom repeated this statement and never made them.  I knew no other ricotta and would buy cannoli at the Italian deli where we went for salumi and other imported treats.  They were good.  Sometimes the crust was a little soggy (because they filled them in the morning and let them sit during the day), but I knew no other cannoli. 

When I was a teenager, I made some for Christmas.  I had my aunt buy some local artisan ricotta (my mom refused to have anything to do with the U.S. ricotta), and I added chocolate and sweetened the ricotta with powdered sugar to my liking.  We ate them right after filling them so the crust stayed crunchy.  I thought they were the best ever.  Ha, what a fool I was!  I was eating imposters, poor imitations of the Cannoli Siciliani, filled with Sicilian "ricotta di pecora" (sheep's milk ricotta).  The imposters are like frozen pizza and a Cannolo from Sicily is like a pizza from Naples.

A Cannolo Siciliano (cannolo is the singular to the plural cannoli) is a MUST when visiting Sicily.  Then, and only then, could I understand why my grandmother (and mother) would have nothing to do with any other ricotta.  Make sure they are "ripieni al momemto" (filled at the moment--to order).  This is important so the crust stays crunchy, and you know they are fresh.

 

I also sampled a few of the morning pastries and other desserts that they fill with ricotta, like the small round puffs--the dough is similar to eclair pate a choux-- called bignole or beignet.  In Sicily, they fill some of these with sweetened ricotta.

And, I was able to find a savory dish---crostini with ricotta and honey.  Now I just have to find a way to import the ricotta into the U.S. I fought with my friend over the last crostini, as they gave us an uneven amount.

If anyone knows of a place that imports Sicilian ricotta di pecora or a cheesemaker that gets close to making cheese like this, please let me know.  I would be happy to make you some Cannoli Siciliani!

Comments

[Jill Silverman Hough]

It's mid-morning on a Sunday, and I'm sitting at the computer to do a little catching up, with a cup of coffee, while Doug settles into the first all-football day of the season. It's the kind of a morning that would be PERFECT with a mid-morning pastry! I feel like I keep saying this but - you're making me jealous!!!!!

[Paula Aiello]

We went to Monterey yesterday and discovered it was the weekend for the Santa Rosalia Festa. So we stopped by for an hour (45 minutes of 1950's Italian-American music is as much as I can handle) and I paid through the nose for some calamari that were overcooked (what a waste!!!) and a cannolo that had a nice pastry shell but HORRIBLE filling. Clearly NOT Sicilian ricotta. I will be watching this blog in case anyone DOES find some good ricotta di pecora.

[Jozee Pizzurro]

Nice cannoli blog. I checked the Internet for sheep's milk ricotta in the San Franciso-Bay Area. One store, Rainbow Grocery on Folsom St. in San Franciso said that they carry it. I also called the Monterey Market in Berkeley and they didn't understand the phrase "sheep's milk ricotta" but said that they have "lots and lots of ricotta".

I haven't had a good cannoli in years. A friend took me to couple of places and though they were filled on the spot, they were soggy and not very good. About 12-14 years ago, I had a cannoli from the Victoria Bakery in San Francisco that was supposed to be "the best". I ate it while walking out the door. The crust was good but the filling was mediocre, at best. Perhaps they have improved on it since.

Wish I could have just one Sicilian cannoli right now. I think that I could eat 3 of them in one sitting. Maybe 4?

[Food Lover Kathy]

Josie--Thanks for the information. When I get back to the bay area, I'll be checking out both of those places, and maybe I can send 3, or even 4, cannoli your way.

[Paula Aiello]

Yeah - thanks, Josie. I also asked my daughter, Emily, who works in the cheese dept. of Whole Foods, about ordering some. She said the buyer might be able to get it but probably only if we wanted a whole "wheel." So it's good to know about Monterey Market.

Also, Kathy - Rich asked me last night whether you'd come across any nugatoli!! He said he had them when he was in Sicily and they were melt-in-your-mouth wonderful. So I take back my statement ... keep looking for them!!

[My Carolina Kitchen]

Absolutely beautiful. I've never attempted to make these but yours look fabulous.
Sam

[Food Lover Kathy]

Sam--They're not made by me. I'm glad you liked the picture, because I kept eating them before taking a picture and had to buy these especially for the picture...but soon I'll be making some and will have a recipe for you. They are actually very simple--the key is having the most delicious ricotta.