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SHELLS
3 /4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 /4 cup marsala
egg white (for sealing)
oil (for frying)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and marsala, then knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until well mixed. Wrap the dough in Saran wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Roll out the dough very thin. Cut it into rounds using a 4 inch cookie cutter. Roll each round again until it is very thin. Roll each round around a cannoli tube, tightly, and seal with the egg white.

Fry in hot oil, turning, until golden. Drain on paper towels and let cool. Gently twist cannoli tube to remove the shell. Cool completely.

FILLING
5 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 orange rind, grated/zest
mini chocolate chip

Mix together (by hand with wooden spoon) all filling ingredients. Keep covered in the refrigerator until your shells are cooled, then fill the pastry bag with the filling.

Use a plain or open star tip. Insert it to the center of the shell and fill to one end, then repeat this step on the other end. Dust with the confectioners’ sugar.

It is time to wear your mask and go to the most fancy and fun party in town: Carnival is here!

In Italy there are several  kinds of pancakes: the most famous are the chiacchere (it means to chat): simple, crunchy, in one word, delicious!

Ingredients:
250gr white flour
1 whole egg
50gr sugar, 1 pinch salt
50gr butter
1 dose vanilla, 3 tbs Marsala
Powdered sugar, oil to fry

Combine flour, sugar and vanilla, than pour all over a surface.
Make a hole in the middle and pour egg, soft butter pieces and marsala in. Knead well. Roll dough with a rolling-pin in a very thin sheet. Cut 6cm x 10cm rectangles, in the middle make tree cuts. In a medium pan warm abundant oil, when hot, fry few chiacchere per time. Sprinkle with sieved powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

A healthy recipe for January, when after the holidays we can feel a little bit heavy! Fresh and light ingredients can be as tasty as all the others, the important thing is to combine them with fantasy!

Ingredients
1 tabs fresh grapefruit  juice
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
1/4 tsp. minced fresh rosemary  
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Fresh spinach leaves
3 or 4 mango
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
1/2 grapefruit
In a small saucepan whisk in grapefruit  juice, oil, salt, rosemary and pepper. In a salad bowl, gently mix fresh spinach leaves (better if organic), grapefruit segments and almonds with dressing. Divide among 6 plates. Arrange mango slices on salads, some other almonds and sprinkle with some fresh rosemary finely minced.