“Leave the Gun….. Take the Cannoli’s”- Clemenza

Feb 14, 2017 | Welcome Column

All I can say about that is thank goodness for the Godfather movie.  
If you haven’t seen that movie (released in 1972), then you have probably been living on Mars, and that’s only because there’s no cable t.v. on Mars… yet.   

Of course, there could be other equally valid reasons why you may not have seen that movie.   A detest of violence, graft, corruption, gangster movies, corrupt government officials, etc.  (which this movie has plenty, for sure).   BUT, really, this movie is a great example of how we can keep our priorities straight, even in our wacky fun-filled days of criminal activities, corruption and mayhem.   Clemenza had it right, don’t forget the important things.

So, here’s my suggestion-   When things get going really “higgledy-piggley”, and you need to get back on track-  get out your dessert recipe binder and make you a baker’s dozen of home-made Grandma Guido’s Cannoli.   

The Cannolo, is an Italian pastry, originating from the Sicily region.  It is considered a staple of Sicilian cuisine, and in the Sicilian language comes from the word ‘cannolu’, meaning “little tube”.   Effectively, the pastry “tube” is filled with a variety of sweet and cheesy ingredients. 

Ricotta, cherries, orange, chocolate, mascarpone and pistachios are some of the fine ingredients of this delightful treat, and there are as many private, secret and home-made personal family recipes for this pastry as you can imagine.  The making of Cannoli is a time- honored practice of hard work and “pastry ingenuity”, as well as a great show of love for your neighbor, because it’s way too much work to just make a small amount, and you simply cannot eat all you make, unless you have a very large family.   So, your neighbors will love you for this!

You will need to prepare for this…. You will need some tools.   And, if you have enjoyed previous articles from me, you know I am a Tool Guy.  So, this is really awesome… Cannoli Tools.   Get yourself some 6” long steel cannoli forms (I suggest 8), a 3-1/2” pastry circle cutter (it probably will come in a set), and a 1/2” Star Tip for filling.  You will need some other basic baking / frying tools, but with some help from Grandma you can get that squared away.

If this is your first time, or even if you are a seasoned pastry aficionado, make a day of it.   Plan a nice simple Italian meal for dinner, and pick out some nice music to enjoy while doing this pastry work… some Scarlatti, a piece by Piccinnii, or in our case maybe some New Grass Revival.  In no time, those worries of the week will melt away as you wash your soul in the sweet smells of cinnamon, cocoa powder and orange zest.

I have not included the recipe for Grandma Guido’s Cannoli in this writing.   The ‘Family’ would not take that well, but mostly because it was a made-up recipe name.   Becky Rosenthal has a nice recipe that will get you going. (Google- Becky Rosenthal Cannoli Recipe), but be sure that there are probably only another ten-hundred thousand recipes for Cannoli available on-line.

Don’t forget the Orange Zest, the finely chopped Orange Citron, and the cold DIY Semi-Sweet Chocolate slivers covered in powdered sugar to top it all off!
 “cu nesci arrinesci”-      “Who leaves- their own comfort zone- succeeds!”

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