Cannoli

In Sicily, no Sunday lunch is complete without a few of these decadent, happiness-stuffed, pastries.

Why are they so popular?

Maybe it's the crunch of the fried pastry tube.

Perhaps the sinfully rich ricotta filling that gushes from both sides.

Or the colorful flourish of dipping the ends into crushed pistachio.

No, it is indeed the genius of combining all three of these elements that make it one of the most popular sweets in Sicily... my apologies to Gelato.

Le Fragole di Mamma

 

Le Fragole di Mamma

Ingredients:
approx. 100 g strawberries 
1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp brandy (or anther sweet liquor to taste) 
1 can whipped cream

Strawberries, Fragole

Fragole in Sicily are in season from early spring to early summer, which means we shall be saying goodbye to them soon (though we do have melon season coming up to ease the pain.)

When I was growing up, strawberries were best eaten right of the bush. Maybe a quick rinse under the tap, but otherwise unchanged. I still enjoy them that way, but here in Sicily it is much more common to dress them up a bit.