The savory cannoli with Mediterranean herbs are a delightful and versatile appetizer, perfect for impressing your guests with a touch of originality. These delicious cannoli, inspired by Sicilian tradition, feature a crispy golden shell enclosing a creamy and flavorful filling, enriched with the fragrances of Mediterranean herbs.
Preparing savory cannoli is an art combining the simplicity of ingredients with creativity in presentation. The shell, made with a dough of flour, lard, eggs, and a pinch of salt and sugar, is fried to achieve perfect crispiness. This crunchy shell is ideal for accommodating a variety of fillings, from classic ricotta and mortadella to more innovative fillings with fresh cheeses, grilled vegetables, or smoked fish.
Mediterranean herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary give the cannoli a unique aroma and a flavor reminiscent of the warm lands of southern Italy. These herbs can be incorporated directly into the shell dough or used to flavor the filling creams, creating a perfect balance between crunchiness and softness, intense and delicate flavors.
The savory cannoli with Mediterranean herbs are perfect to serve as an appetizer at a special lunch or dinner, but also as finger food at a buffet or aperitif. Their versatility allows for playing with fillings, experimenting with ever new and surprising combinations. For example, you can try a tuna mousse and sun-dried tomatoes, or a cooked ham mousse, or even a vegetarian filling with hummus and crunchy vegetables.
Moreover, preparing savory cannoli can become a fun activity to share with friends and family, involving everyone in the creation of these small culinary masterpieces. Don’t forget to decorate your cannoli with chopped pistachios, sesame seeds, or fresh chopped herbs, or some chopped black olives for a final touch that will make them even more inviting.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Savory Cannoli with Mediterranean Herbs
You can also use this dough for sweet fillings such as chocolate mousse or whipped cream and raspberry mousse.
- 8.8 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 oz lard
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 egg yolk
- 0.3 oz salt
- 0.5 oz sugar
- 7 oz cream cheese (such as Philadelphia or robiola)
- 7 oz mortadella
- 1/4 tsp chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp basil (chopped)
- to taste chives
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste black olives (chopped for decoration)
Tools
- 12 Molds for cannoli
- 1 Chopper
- Pastry Cutter 10 cm round
- 1 Thermometer kitchen
Preparation of Savory Cannoli with Mediterranean Herbs
In a large bowl, knead the flour with the lard and then add the egg to incorporate it well.
Add the yolk, salt, and sugar and finish kneading until you get a smooth and compact dough.
You can, of course, use a stand mixer or dough machine.
Form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling by finely chopping the mortadella with a chopper.
You can replace it with cooked ham if you prefer a more delicate flavor.
In a bowl, work the cream cheese (which you can replace with ricotta) together with the chopped herbs.
Incorporate the previously chopped mortadella and mix everything well.
Set aside.
Roll out the cannoli dough into a thin sheet slightly more than 1 mm thick using a rolling pin.
Cut out circles of 10 cm in diameter with a pastry cutter or a small bowl.
Roll each circle onto the molds, overlapping the edges and pressing them slightly so they don’t open.
In a small saucepan, heat plenty of oil for frying at 320/340°F and fry 2 or 3 cannoli at a time.
Once golden on all sides, drain them carefully, making sure to let the oil drip out from inside the molds.
Gently remove each cannoli and let them cool.
Fill a pastry bag with the filling and fill the savory cannoli with Mediterranean herbs just before serving.
Decorate them with chopped black olives, pistachio crumbs, or fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Otherwise, store the filling in the refrigerator and the shells in a tin box to keep them from getting moist. If filled much earlier, they become soggy and lose their crispness.
Storing Savory Cannoli with Mediterranean Herbs
Fried and empty cannoli keep for 2 days in a tin box or a paper bag.
They should be filled just before serving, or they will lose their crispness.
Other Recipes
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Variations
You can bake them in the oven at 350°F in static mode, brushed with extra virgin olive oil, for 15/20 minutes until golden.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can cannoli be filled with?
Cannoli can be filled with pistachio cream, custard for sweet versions, or tuna mousse or basil mousse.
How to store cannoli shells?
Simply let them cool after frying and store them in an airtight container or a tin box, never in the fridge.
How long in advance can cannoli be filled?
It is essential to fill the cannoli just before consuming them to ensure the shells remain crispy. Otherwise, they will become soggy and lose their crispness.
How to transport cannoli?
Transport them unassembled, with the filling in an airtight container and the shells tightly closed in another container to prevent them from getting moist.
