Fried Sicilian Cartocci

To prepare the fried Sicilian cartocci, start with the dough. In a bowl, pour the flour, sugar 1, and crumbled fresh yeast 2. Also pour in the milk 3.

Mix with a fork 4 until the milk is absorbed, then add a pinch of salt 5 and knead again. Now add the whole egg 6 and knead again until it is absorbed 6.

Now move to a countertop and work the dough with your hands 7; once it is smooth and homogeneous, add the lard little by little 8, continuing to knead to absorb it 9.

Continue in this way until the lard is used up; finally, fold the dough 10 and form a ball 11. Transfer it to a bowl 12, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 3 hours.

In the meantime, sift the ricotta 13; it must be well-drained and dry. Add the sugar 14 and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Then add the chocolate chips 15.

Mix again 16 and place back in the refrigerator. As soon as the dough has doubled in size 17, transfer it back to the countertop and, using a dough scraper, cut off about 2.65 oz 18.

Continue in this way until you obtain 12 equal pieces 19. Take one and shape it by rolling it on the countertop 20 until you get a cylinder about 12 inches long 21.

Take some cannoli molds and, starting from one end, wrap the dough 22 to form 4 turns 23. You can also make 3 turns if you prefer less tapered cartocci. Place the cartocci on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 24.

Space the cartocci well, cover with plastic wrap 25. Let rise for another hour. Pour the seed oil into a pot and heat it to 329°F. Dip the cartocci without burning yourself 27.

Fry a few pieces at a time 28. To brown them uniformly, use a spoon to pour hot oil over them. When they are well browned, drain them on kitchen paper 29. Then remove the steel cylinder, being careful not to burn yourself 30.

Roll it in sugar 31 and proceed the same way for the others. Transfer the ricotta into a piping bag and fill your cartocci 32 33. Serve them immediately!