Chicken Caesar Savoury Cannoli

Savoury cannoli ftw

30 minutes prep

30 minutes cook

Serves 3

Twisted

Ingredients

Cannoli:

10 cannelloni pasta tubes

Oil for deep frying

2 tbspfinely grated Parmesan

salt & pepper, to taste

finely chopped chives

Filling:

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded and chopped

6 cooked streaky bacon rashers, finely chopped

4 tbspmayonnaise

2 tbspcrème fraîche

40 gfinely grated Parmesan

1 small garlic clove, very finely grated

1 tspDijon mustard

1 –2 tbsplemon juice (to taste)

½ lemon, zested

salt & black pepper, to taste

Crispy fried cannelloni tubes filled with a rich, creamy chicken Caesar filling, seasoned with garlic, Parmesan, Dijon, and lemon, then finished with chive-dusted ends for a show-stopping bite.

Method

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add cannelloni and cook until just al dente (slightly undercooked), then drain and dry thoroughly (pat dry, then leave to air dry if possible).

Heat oil to 180°C and fry cannelloni in batches until golden, blistered and crisp (2–4 mins). Remove and drain on paper towels. While still hot, season with Parmesan, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Leave to cool completely.

For the filling, mix together the mayonnaise, crème fraîche or cream cheese, grated Parmesan, garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest and black pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice or salt as needed so it feels punchy and well balanced. Fold in the finely chopped chicken and bacon. The mixture should be thick and pipeable.

Spoon the filling into a piping bag and pipe it into the cooled cannelloni shells from both ends until full, letting it slightly overfill so the ends look generous. Dip each end of the filled cannoli into the chopped chives, pressing gently so it sticks.

Arrange on a plate and finish with a light dusting of Parmesan, a crack of black pepper and, if you like, a little extra lemon zest just before serving.