How to make a traditional Sicilian sweet: Cassatelle Trapanesi - fried crescents of dough filled with sweet ricotta and chocolate and dusted with icing sugar.
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
Italian
Prep Time30minutes
Cook Time15minutes
Total Time45minutes
Servings8
AuthorManuela Zangara
Ingredients
Dough
500gms– 1.1 lbs. flour
100gms– 3.5 oz. sugar
90ml– 3.2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
180ml– 6.4 oz. white wine
2tbspMarsala wine or dry Sherry
1pinchsalt
Waterenough to get a smooth and pliable dough
Ricotta Filling
500gms– 1.1 lbs. ricotta
300gms– 10.5 oz. sugar
50gms– 1.75 oz. dark chocolate chips
½tspvanilla extract
¼tspcinnamonoptional
To Assemble
Icing sugar
Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Dough
Put all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment (or just knead it all by hands). Put the mixer on and slowly add enough water to obtain a smooth and pliable dough.
Make it into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and let it rest for 1 hour.
Ricotta Filling
Put all the ingredients (apart from the chocolate chips) in the bowl af an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk for a couple of minutes, until the sugar dissolves.
Add the chocolate chips and mix.
To Assemble
Roll the dough into a 3 mm – 0.1 inch thick sheet and cut out discs of approximately 12 cm – 4.5 inches in diameter.
Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle of each disc and rub a little water around the edges with your fingers.
Fold the disc in half and seal it well by crimping the edges closed with a fork.
Shallow fry the cassatelle in warm vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides.
When ready, put them on a plate covered with paper towels to drain the excess oil.