Κοινωνικός Σιδηρόδρομος.

Κοινωνικός σιδηρόδρομος

Του ΓΙΩΡΓΟΥ ΣΤΑΜΑΤΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ

Οποιος έχει ταξιδέψει με τραίνο, έχει όντως ταξιδέψει!

Διότι κατά τη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού παιδαγωγείται, απολαμβάνει τη βραδύτητα, τη συνύπαρξη, το περιβάλλον, άλλως μυείται στην ομορφιά και την επικοινωνία, στα μέγιστα των ανθρώπων δηλαδή. Αυτά, όμως, μάλλον είναι ψιλά γράμματα για τους φωστήρες του υπουργείου Μεταφορών. Ενώ παγκοσμίως ο σιδηρόδρομος αναδεικνύεται κορυφαίο μεταφορικό μέσο, στην Ελλάδα απαξιώνεται με ευθύνη του κράτους, παρακαλώ. Ενώ παντού κατασκευάζονται νέες σύγχρονες σιδηροδρομικές υποδομές τραίνων μεγάλης ταχύτητας, καθώς και αστικών και προαστιακών σιδηροδρόμων και τραμ και βελτιώνονται και ανακαινίζονται οι υπάρχουσες περιφερειακές γραμμές, η ελληνική κυβέρνηση καταργεί τον σιδηρόδρομο, διατηρώντας για τα προσχήματα μόνο τη γραμμή Αθήνα - Θεσσαλονίκη!

Πρόκειται για εθνικό έγκλημα, λένε οι φίλοι του σιδηροδρόμου. Με πρόσχημα το έλλειμμα του ΟΣΕ, η κυβέρνηση τιμωρεί την κοινωνία, στερώντας απ' αυτήν το κοινωνικό αγαθό της μετακίνησής της με τραίνο. Ομως τα ελλείμματα του ΟΣΕ είναι πρωτίστως πολιτικά και κατόπιν οικονομικά. Δεν αφορούν τον οργανισμό, αλλά το ίδιο το κράτος, που με την πολιτική του, τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες, ευνόησε το αυτοκίνητο και το εργολαβικό λόμπι, δείχνοντας χαρακτηριστική ασυνέπεια στις υποχρεώσεις χρηματοδότησης που είχε προς τον ΟΣΕ. Με την πρακτική αυτή ο «τζαμπατζής» Ρέππας οδηγεί σε συγκοινωνιακή απομόνωση και στα δόντια των οδικών μονοπωλίων μεγάλες περιοχές και χιλιάδες κατοίκους της χώρας.

Φαίνεται να μην ενδιαφέρεται ο κύριος υπουργός για τα οφέλη που προκύπτουν από τον σιδηρόδρομο: μεταφορές αγαθών και ανθρώπων με χαμηλό κόστος· βελτίωση συνθηκών διάθεσης της αγροτικής παραγωγής· βελτίωση επίσης συνθηκών ήπιας τουριστικής αξιοποίησης της απείρου φυσικού κάλλους ελληνικής περιφέρειας. Ξεχνά επίσης, ή δεν θέλησε ποτέ του να μάθει, ότι ο σιδηρόδρομος αποτελεί πολύτιμη εναλλακτική διέξοδο απέναντι στα ακριβά καύσιμα, τα άπειρα διόδια και, βεβαίως, τα μειωμένα εισοδήματα. Επιπλέον δεν καταλαβαίνει ότι το τραίνο παρέχει ασφάλεια στον ταξιδιώτη, άνεση, ταχύτητα, ευχάριστο και ξεκούραστο ταξίδι, ευνοεί τον εκκοινωνισμό (γνωριμίες κ.λπ.), ενώ διατρέχει τόσο όμορφες φυσικές περιοχές και, τέλος, είναι το λιγότερο ευάλωτο σε άσχημες καιρικές συνθήκες.


Οπως έγραψε ο Κωστής Παλαμάς «ο σιδηρόδρομος όχι μόνο δεν πλήγωσε τη φύση, αλλά βρέθηκε σαν ένα στοιχείο ομορφιάς στον όμορφο κόσμο της...». Ο συγκοινωνιολόγος Γιώργος Νάθενας τονίζει: «Ο σιδηρόδρομος, ως κοινωνικό αγαθό, είναι ο πυλώνας της βιώσιμης κινητικότητας... ευκαιρία για ήπια και οργανωμένη πολεοδομική - χωροταξική - κοινωνική και οικονομική περιφερειακή ανάπτυξη και αποκέντρωση», καλεί δε τις αιρετές αρχές των Περιφερειών να αναλάβουν τις ευθύνες τους, ώστε να μη συρρικνωθεί (αφανισθεί) το οικολογικότερο και ομορφότερο μέσο μαζικής συγκοινωνίας. Είναι ενθαρρυντικό ότι ακόμη υπάρχουν ενεργοί πολίτες, που αντιστέκονται στην κυβερνητική αυθαιρεσία. Στις 25 Φεβρουαρίου η Πρωτοβουλία για την Κοινωνική Υπεράσπιση του Σιδηροδρόμου (Σύλλογος Φίλων Σιδηροδρόμων Αθηνών, Μεσσηνίας, Τρικάλων, Δυτ. Στερεάς, Φλώρινας) διοργάνωσε μια εξαιρετικά χρήσιμη συζήτηση, στο τέλος της οποίας αποφασίστηκε το εξής:

Στις αρχές Απριλίου, και αφού πριν συγκροτήθηκε Πανελλαδικό Δίκτυο, θα διοργανωθεί εβδομάδα κοινωνικής υπεράσπισης του σιδηροδρόμου, με στόχο την αποτροπή διάλυσης και πώλησης του ελληνικού σιδηροδρόμου, καθώς και τη διατήρηση ή επέκτασή του ως αδιαπραγμάτευτου κοινωνικού αγαθού. Αυτό θα γίνει και σε όλη την Ελλάδα! Υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που αντιδρούν σ' αυτούς που αποφασίζουν με την κοινωνία απούσα απ' όλα αυτά που την αφορούν. Αποφασίζουν λέγοντας, εννοούμε ότι ικανοποιούν τα αιτήματα των οικονομικών, κεφαλαιοκρατικών οργανώσεων-αφεντικών τους. Τα μέσα μεταφοράς στα χέρια της κοινωνίας, όπως λέει η Πρωτοβουλία για την Κοινωνική Υπεράσπιση του Σιδηδροδρόμου
To άρθρο έχει δημοσιευθεί στη Σαββατιάτικη Ελευθεροτυπία 26 Μαρτίου 2011.

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10 Super Spaghetti Recipes

Spaghetti is one pasta that many families embrace. But after awhile, spaghetti can get somewhat boring, especially if you have the same recipe standby you fall on. Why not try something a bit different and venture out on the adventurous side? Spaghetti is much more versatile than you think and to prove it, here are 10 Super Spaghetti Recipes to swirl your fork around...

Toasted Spaghetti with Clams 
Get a taste of Spain with this Spanish dish...

Creamy Carbonara
Pass on the red sauce and try a rich carbonara with bacon, egg and Parmesan cheese...

Pancit Palabok: Filipino Seafood Spaghetti
Seafood is wonderfully paired in this Filipino spaghetti dish...

Thai Pasta Salad 
If you like peanut butter, this Thai inspired dish will be a hit!...

Spaghetti & Meatballs
Here's a classic recipe for everyone's favorite...

Asian Sesame Noodle Salad with Peanuts
Here's a vegetarian dish that loaded with flavor...

Cincinnati Skyline Chili
Many serve this chili over macaroni... but spaghetti is definitely better!...

Shrimp & Mushroom Spaghetti
The rich, creamy garlic butter & white wine sauce really brings this dish together...

Lemon Spaghetti

The bright, citrus flavors shine in this springtime spaghetti...

Pasta Bolognese
A rich, meaty bolognese sauce goes well with spaghetti...

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Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs

Growing up I remember Wednesday was the night to go to my friend April's house. Why Wednesday? Because at her house, Wednesday was always spaghetti night. They always had a great spread of garlic bread, salad and really good spaghetti. In fact, every time I make spaghetti, memories of spaghetti night at April's house come to mind. Although it's not Wednesday, this post is dedicated to April for the times I was lucky enough to enjoy spaghetti night with her family. I recently made this Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs that definitely hit the spot and makes for a nice one dish dinner!

Spaghetti and meatballs can certainly be a production to make in the kitchen. You've got the sauce that can take up to a few hours to make for the flavors to develop. The pasta that needs to be cooked to that perfect al dente. And we can't forget the meatballs that are hand rolled and prepared while everything is going on. After all is said and done, the kitchen may look like a disaster and never mind the mountain of things that need to be washed! Well, this version of spaghetti and meatballs is much more easier and will leave your kitchen in decent shape afterward.

The sauce is cooked in a crockpot giving you some time for yourself. For an added treat, I included mini meatballs in this dish that wasn't part of the original recipe. The mini meatballs are formed and simmered with the sauce in the crockpot. The main effort in the dish is just assembling everything in a casserole dish. Layers of the spaghetti, sauce and cheese are put together and baked to perfection.

Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs

recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Mini Meatballs:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg, beaten

Sauce:
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 small bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti pasta
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup grated Monterey Jack

For the meatballs:
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 36-48 mini meatballs; set aside. 

Crumble the ground beef in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until fully cooked, with no pink color remaining. Drain the fat from the meat, and then transfer the ground beef to a crockpot. Add the mini meatballs, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Cover the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan with sauce. Add a layer of pasta and then a little less than 1/2 of each cheese; repeat the layers, ending with the sauce.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, return it to the oven, and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 more minutes. Cut into squares before serving.

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12 'Round the World Ground Beef Recipes...

Ground beef is often buried deep in my freezer somewhere. It's not a particular ingredient I work with often but it does come in handy when I make burgers, meat sauce or even meatballs. Sometimes coming up with other dishes using ground beef can be a challenge though. For those times you may need some recipe inspiration using ground beef, here are 12 'Round the World Ground Beef Recipes to try and venture out into other ethnic cuisines...

Swedish Meatballs

Forget going to IKEA for your meatball fix...

Lamb & Beef Koubideh

Persian fare is so flavorful and fun to eat on a stick!...

Beef & Cheese Empanadas

Take a tasty trip to Latin America with these empanadas...

Cincinnati Skyline Chili

We can't forget the U.S & how tasty chili is from Cincy!...

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis)

A classic Polish fare, these will have you eating more cabbage in no time!...

Classic Stuffed Peppers

Did you know stuffed peppers is a common Balkan dish?!...

Spicy Beef Nachoes

Let's not forget our southern neighbors & their influence on Tex Mex cuisine...

Pastitsio Kima (Baked Macaroni)

This is probably my favorite Greek dish... so comforting & delicious...

Beef Kofta Kabobs
Here's another nod to the Middle East& their wonderful stick foods...

Meatball Lasagna
This Italian inspired dish will satisfy any meat lover...

Kohl Und Hackfleish (German Cabbage Casserole)
Germany is well represented with this casserole...

Bobotie (South African Meatloaf)
Be adventurous & give South African fare a try with this easy meatloaf!

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NO-KNEAD OLIVE BREAD

A PICKLE A SCHMICKLE: IT’S ALL A MATTER OF TASTE

Except the vine, there is no plant which bears a fruit of as great importance as the olive.
- Pliny

It must have been our Eastern European Jewish culture, but we were an olive and pickle-loving family. Our refrigerator was always overflowing with glass jars chock full of briny things of every type and kind: olives green and black, thick, crunchy slices of green tomatoes, chilly, crispy sour kraut, spicy hot peppers and tiny cocktail onions. And the pickles! Half-sour, dill, tiny sweet gherkins and those crinkle-cut hamburger slices, just sweet enough with that sour afterbite. Chips, slices, wedges, spears, halves, whole and even relish, we just couldn’t get enough, or so it seemed. Scoops of olives eaten like candy graced the dinner table, or the perfect buffet item, each glistening orb of lusciousness graced with its own toothpick, olives with the pit still in that one had to nibble around with the front teeth like little chipmunks, or olives pitted and stuffed with bright red pimento, the best to accompany a favorite sandwich. The occasional and much-anticipated trip to Miami to visit our Uncle Eli would always include lunch at Wolfie’s where he worked for a while, or those summer vacations in New York to visit mom’s family would invariably find us for at least one meal at some Kosher deli. And what stays in the memory more than any other about these wonderful trips to these bastions of Eastern European Jewish cooking? The tiny aluminum or fluted white ceramic bowl in the center of every table full to overflowing with a choice selection of pickles and olives, an unlimited supply ours for the asking!


Riding high on the briny wave of olive and pickle love, I joined lives and began a brand new culinary adventure with a Frenchman who brought with him into our union jars upon jars of tiny, slim, crispy French cornichons of deep forest green, just two tiny bites needed to finish each off. I fell in love with these sharp, luscious pickles, served and eaten so simply with slices of fresh baguette topped with butter or pâté. Grab the red plastic ring and pull and up will come a dozen or so oblong cornichons on a tray, yours for the picking. And if you are so lucky, grab one tiny, perfectly round, pearly white orb of an onion nestled amongst the green and *crunch* savor the sharpness in one lip-puckering bite. Later on we will, together, hand in hand, discover and bring home big, fat jars of big, fat Malossols à la Russe or espy and partake of the huge barrel hidden behind the counter at Joe Goldenberg’s Jewish delicatessen in Paris where one must know to ask for the fabulous plump kosher dills floating lazily in the brine.

And olives! Our own Mercato Wagner in the center of Milan boasted The Olive Man, a handsome vendor with movie star looks who would wield his ladle at our bidding and scoop down into the trays or bins of whatever we were in the mood for that day. Standing close to the chilly glass case, nose practically pressed up against the pane, we would ogle, ponder, hesitate as we tried to decide between all of the flavors offered. And it was here that I discovered and fell madly in love with Olive Dolce, known in France as Olive Lucque, beautiful cured green sweet olives rather than salty or sour.


And the next generation, inheriting our own tastes yet forming their own briny habit, grew to love the pungent, salty, snappy flavors of these bite-sized treats! More olive than pickle men, our sons grew up eating bowl after bowl of the green, black, brown and violet, salty, spicy, tangy, marinated in lemon or basil, garlic or hot peppers, stuffed with pimento, almonds, anchovies (okay, only I love the anchovy-stuffed olives), on pizza or in tagines, they can never get enough! Trips to the grocery store find our basket filled with jars upon jars of them, excursions to the market and we haggle with each other over our choice as we stand patiently in line, often compromising by selecting two different type olives. And maybe a barquette of olive tapenade. And some marinated baby artichokes. You see my point? But let those boys make their own lunch or dinner, grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich, breaded chicken cutlet or a juicy beef burger, and that jar or plastic sachet of olives will find itself hugged close to their plate, spoon digging down into the faintly murky liquid searching for each gem, those olives eaten one after the next like French fries and by the end of that meal the jar would be, yes, empty.

And then there is Olive Bread!

I would say to housewives, be not daunted by one failure, nor by twenty. Resolve that you will have good bread, and never cease striving after this result till you have effected it. If persons without brains can accomplish this, why cannot you?
- Housekeeping in Old Virginia, Marion Cabell Tyree, 1878

This month’s Bread Baking Day #38 is hosted by my friend Cinzia of Cindystar Blog and she is having a No-Knead Festival! I first made a no-knead bread with my lovely friend Clare on one of her visits and I was simply astounded at what a fabulous, gorgeous bread could come out of no-knead dough! And then I bought Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. (fellow Penn alum!) and how I adore no-knead bread! It comes out perfect every single time! I have used their recipes for making fabulous perfect Challah and their Olive Oil Dough for both my Olive, Sun-Dried Tomato and Pine Nut Focaccia and my fabulous Stuffed Focaccia (filled with roasted tomatoes, rocket, chorizo and mozzarella).

It has been much too long since I baked for Bread Baking Day, one of my favorite food blogging events created by my lovely friend Zorra but BBD #38 has me back, for I could not resist baking a No-Knead Bread. And I have returned to our favorite, the Olive Oil Dough and made Olive Bread. Simply divine! What better way to share my love of both olives and bread than this wonderful, dense, tender loaf chock full of big, fat, juicy, plump, salty black Greek olives? Mmmm.

The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.
- M. F. K. Fisher

And I share this fabulous, tender, flavorful loaf with Susan of Wild Yeast and Yeastspotting!

NO-KNEAD OLIVE OIL DOUGH
Makes enough dough for four 1-pound loaves. Perfect for pizza, focaccia or olive bread.

2 ¾ cup (650 ml) lukewarm water
¼ cup (50 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ Tbs (15 g) active dry yeast
1 ½ Tbs salt
1 Tbs sugar
6 ½ cups (975 g) flour (I used read flour type 55, you can use all-purpose)

Combine the yeast, salt and sugar in a very large mixing bowl or a lidded (not air-tight) food container. Add the olive oil and the lukewarm water.

Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon (although you can use a food processor with a dough attachment or a heavy-duty standing mixer with a dough hook) until completely blended. If you have trouble getting the last bit of flour to blend in you can use your wet hands.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (not air tight) and allow to stand at room temperature for 2 hours, until the dough has risen and then collapses or flattens on top.

The dough can now be used immediately or stored in the bowl covered with plastic wrap or a lidded (not air tight) container for up to 2 weeks. It is easier to work with when chilled.

OLIVE BREAD
Slightly adapted to my own desires!


1-pound (500 g – size of a grapefruit) portion of the Olive Oil Dough
¼ cup high-quality pitted olives
About 1 Tbs Zahatar seasoning (dried ground Zahatar, sesame seeds, spices, salt, olive oil)
Olive oil for brushing the loaf

Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut out a grapefruit-sized piece. Using a rolling pin on a floured work surface, flatten the dough to a thickness of ½ inch. Spread the olives evenly over the surface, leaving about an inch around the edges olive free. Dust with about half the Zahatar, if you desire. Roll the dough up around the olives and shape it into a smooth ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go. Place the ball of dough on a parchment or oven-paper lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic and allow to rest for 1 hour. It will rise slightly.

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Gently brush the entire surface of the dough with olive oil and dust with the remaining Zahatar. Make slashes across the top of the bread using a serrated or very sharp bread knife. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes until a deep golden brown.

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Homemade Cannoli

When you're throwing an Italian inspired party, it can be quite a task to come up with a dessert only fitting for the menu. For the recent Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Showdown party I threw, my menu was Italian inspired and well, pizza heavy. For dessert, I wanted something light but some of the dessert ideas I came across seemed too heavy. I also wanted my guests to have fun and I know my friends like to be interactive in the kitchen. So I did some thinking and remembered how much I enjoyed fresh cannoli in the North End neighborhood of Boston. Homemade Cannoli was the perfect dessert for my party menu and to take it a step further, I set up a cannoli bar for my guests to play and make their customized cannolis...

I love incorporating a dessert bar at my parties, especially where I can offer a dessert that will allow my guests some variety and some fun to customize them to their tastes. I set up my cannoli bar with homemade cannoli shells, a few nuts (pistachios and pecans), a couple dipping sauces (mint chocolate and butterscotch caramel) and additional garnishes (chopped chocolate and sweetened coconut.)

For the cannoli fillings, I had a chocolate mousse filling and a more traditional sweet ricotta filling available (recipes to follow below). But by far, the most time consuming task in preparing this cannoli bar was making the homemade cannoli shells. I had a few recipes to draw from but ultimately decided on one from a fellow blogger that hosted the Daring Bakers challenge. The dough wasn't too difficult to make and I especially liked the subtle flavor of chocolate and cinnamon. The wine also came through but more as a faint aroma than an actual flavor in the dough. Nonetheless, it was definitely a winner for me. After testing out the recipe a few times before my party, I'm pretty confident about making this and even came up with some shortcut tips!

The original recipe for the dough calls for rolling it out thin and using a large cookie cutter. I found when I followed these steps I ended up with a lot of scraps that really couldn't be worked into a dough to use again. So instead of rolling out and using a cookie cutter, I just portioned out the dough into the number of cannoli I want to make... and then roll each portion into a ball. This ball is then rolled out into a very thin oval shape that I roll using the cannoli tube. Doing it this way eliminated the amount of waste and the step of rolling out and using a cookie cutter.

Another thing to note is that I happen to like the rustic look of cannoli in that they don't look exactly alike and aren't all perfectly rolled out ovals before rolling onto the cannoli tube. To me, the flavor is what matters and after all the garnishing, it doesn't really matter if the cannoli was perfectly shaped anyway! If you've never made homemade cannoli before, here's a perfect opportunity. It's fun and oh so delicious...

* I purchased 8 cannoli tubes made by Ateco brand. Look for them at a specialty shop like Sur la Table (where I purchased mine.)

Homemade Cannoli Shells
recipe as seen on Parsley, Sage, Desserts & Line Drives

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sweet Marsala or any white or red wine (I used white wine)
1 large egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon of water
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts

Garnishes: 1/4 cup of each
toasted chopped pistachio nuts
toasted chopped pecans
chopped or mini chocolate chips
shredded sweetened coconut
butterscotch caramel sauce
melted chocolate sauce
confectioners’ sugar


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine in a 1 cup measuring cup and slowly pour into the stand mixer bowl to make a soft dough.

Remove the paddle attachment and replace with the dough hook attachment. Continue kneading dough in the stand mixer kneading until smooth and well blended, about 2-4 minutes.  Remove the dough from the bowl of the stand mixer and shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

Allow the dough to come to room temperature. Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball in your hands and using a rolling pin, roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick. Roll the dough into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes. Roll a dough oval from the long side around each tube/form and dab a little egg wash on the dough where the edges overlap. Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg wash seal dry a little.

In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Chocolate Mousse Filling
recipe from Wilton

4 eggs separated
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

In medium saucepan, combine egg yolks and milk. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is almost boiling and is thickened enough to coat spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips, vanilla and liqueur; continue stirring until chocolate is melted. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold gently into the chocolate mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Sweet Ricotta Filling
recipe from Ateco (back of Cannoli tube package)

4 cups (2 pounds) ricotta

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange zest
1/4 cup lemon zest
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Place ricotta in wet cheesecloth and wring out as much moisture as possible. If needed, strain overnight to remove excess liquid.

Combined strained ricotta with remaining ingredients. Cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours or overnight for flavors to meld.

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10 Sweet Lemon Recipes to Pucker Up To...

Now that it's spring, you'll find lots of great seasonal produce available... so take advantage! Lemons are definitely in season so you may find them on sale at your local grocery store. Grab a few lemons and aside from making lemonade, try one of these 10 Sweet Lemon Recipes to Pucker Up To...

Strawberry Lemon Scones

Strawberry and lemon make these scones a sweet way to start the day...

Creamy Lemon Blueberry Cups

Blueberries and lemon are another great fruit pair, as seen in these sweet little bites...

Lemon Mini Bundt Cake

Have your lemon bundt cake & eat it too with this mini version...

Tartest Lemon Tarts

This tart using the entire lemon - zest, juice, seeds... the whole thing!

Lemon Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Lemon Blackberry Glaze

A fave recipe adapted from Ina Garten...

Lemon Honey Yogurt Muffins

Lemon and honey are also a great combo, especially in these muffins...

Strawberry Lemon Parfaits

Anything becomes fancy when served in a martini glass, like these sweet parfaits...

Lemon Cream Cake

A copycat recipe of Olive Garden's popular cake...

Lemon Curd

This is a definite must for any proper spring tea party!...

Lemon Ice Cream

If you're an ice cream fan, you'll want to indulge in this easy lemon ice cream recipe...

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