Have you ever been enjoying a cannoli and wondered, ‘what if this was…savory?’ Well wonder no longer because now you can find out! Who knows, maybe you’ll even overcome your generational family trauma in the process.

Ingredients

Parmesan Shells Ingredients:

• 60 g parmesan cheese, finely grated

• ¾ tsp cornstarch

Mortadella Cream Ingredients:

• Adapted from recipe

• 6 oz mortadella, chopped 

• 3 ½ oz whole milk 

• 2 ¼ oz heavy cream, cold 

• ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg 

• ⅛ tsp white pepper

• To taste kosher salt

Shallot Oil Ingredients:

• 6 oz neutral oil 

• 2 small shallots, peeled + sliced

Olive Tapenade Ingredients:

• 1 Cup pitted oil-packed cerignola black olives (with ~2 Tbsp of the oil)

• ¼ Cup olive oil (from the black olives) 

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1 ½ Tbsp capers, drained

• 2 garlic cloves

• 3 anchovy filets 

• To taste kosher salt 

• To taste freshly ground black pepper

Savory Cannoli Ingredients:

• Parmesan Shells (see recipe above)

• Mortadella Cream (see recipe above)

• ½ Cup pistachios, finely chopped

• Olive Tapenade (see recipe above)

• 1 Tbsp trout or salmon roe 

• Shallot Oil (see recipe above)

Method

Parmesan Shells Method:

1. Move the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 °F. Prepare a large sheet tray with a silicone baking mat.

2. Combine the parmesan cheese and cornstarch in a small bowl, and toss to combine.

3. Distribute 15 grams of parmesan into a 3-inch pastry cutter placed over the silicone baking mat. Optionally, for mini shells, distribute 4 grams of parmesan cheese into a 1-inch pastry cutter. Compress the parmesan into a ¼ inch round, then carefully remove the mold. 

4. Bake the parmesan for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

5. Remove the rounds from the oven and let cool for 5-10 seconds, then carefully, roll the rounds around a 1-inch dowel (or a ⅓-inch dowel for mini shells). 

6. Let the parmesan shells cool for 15-20 seconds before unmolding. Let cool completely on a rack before filling. 

Mortadella Cream Method:

1. Add the mortadella to the base of a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Heat the milk to a bare simmer, then with the blender running, pour the hot milk into the blended mortadella. Continue blending for 2 minutes or until the mixture is extremely smooth.

3. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, then place the bowl in an ice bath. Cool the mixture to room temperature, making sure to stir the mixture periodically to ensure even cooling. 

4. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks.

5. Fold the cream into the cooled mortadella mixture and season with nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste. 

6. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Shallot Oil Method:

1. Combine the oil and shallots in a small saucepan. Heat over  medium-low heat and cook until the shallots are crispy, about 15-20 minutes  

2. Strain and set aside the oil to cool to room temperature. Reserve the crispy shallots for another use.

Olive Tapenade Method:

1. Combine the olives (with the oil), lemon juice, capers, garlic, and anchovy filets in the base of a food processor. 

2. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined and finely chopped, but stop before the mixture becomes a paste. 

3. Season the tapenade to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Reserve until ready to use.

Savory Cannoli Method:

1. Fill the Parmesan Shells with the Mortadella Cream. Dip each end of the cannoli into the chopped pistachios. 

2. Add a small mound of Olive Tapenade to the center of a serving plate of choice. Place the cannoli over the tapenade and top with the roe and a drizzle of Shallot Oil. 

3. Serve immediately.