Panelle
Panelle
Chickpea Fritters
If, like me, you have dedicated your life to #carbpositivity, then have I got a city for you. Palermo, Sicily’s capital, is all about starches in their many forms. The most classic example of this is panelle, or chickpea fritters, a street snack served layered on a vastedda roll with a couple of cazzilli (potato croquettes). It’s all smashed into a sandwich, a beautiful, beige, carby snack. You can make panelle sandwiches here with Palermo’s classic vastedda, or just snack on them plain. In the latter case, I like to make 1-inch squares for one-bite servings at aperitivo. The set batter stores well, so you can prepare it a day or two before you plan to fry it.
Serve alongside Arancine and Caponata for a proper Sicilian apertivo spread.
Ingredients (8)
Ingredients (8)
Instructions
Heat the water (5 cups) in a large saucepan over high heat. When it reaches a rolling boil, reduce to a simmer.
Rain in the chickpea flour (3 cups) slowly, whisking to eliminate clumps. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring continuously, until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley (¼ cup).
Pour the chickpea mixture onto a clean work surface or rimless baking sheets and spread it out until it is ¼ inch thick. Set aside to cool and set, about 20 minutes.
Cut the chickpea mixture into 3-inch squares and set aside.
Fill a medium frying pan or cast-iron skillet with 2 in of neutral oil and heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375 °F. Fry the panelle in batches at 350 °F, turning once to ensure even browning, until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot on a sliced vastedda (6) or on their own with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
Notes
It’s easy to adapt the recipe for panelle batter to make fainè alla sassarese, a flatbread made in the northern Sardinian city of Sassari: Combine 2 ½ cups water with 1 ½ cups chickpea flour. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 450 °F and coat the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with a generous layer of olive oil. Whisk some salt and freshly ground black pepper into the chickpea batter and stir in half a thinly sliced small onion or a sausage removed from its casing and torn into bits–or both!–and a healthy glug of olive oil. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Cool, slice, and serve sprinkled with salt. The fainè alla sassarese will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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