Panelle - Sicilian Chickpea Fritters

By Maverick19

This is a classic Sicilian street food, very popular in Sicily and they are delicious. Sicilians also eat the panelle, panino style.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• Vegetable or Canola oil for frying

Preparation

Step 1

Pour the chickpea flour, water and salt in a medium sized sauce pan and whisk until smooth. Once smooth, set over medium heat, and whisk constantly as the mixture slowly heats. Cook and keep whisking, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan, frequently, until the mixture is smooth, thick and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 5 +
minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.

Step 2

Pour mixture onto a parchment covered baking sheet (approximately 12x15) and spread it quickly with a spatula, before it cools and sets, so that it fills the pan in an even layer, about 1/4 inch thick. Let cool in refrigerator for approximately an hour, til completely firm.

Step 3

Once cooled, cut into squares or rectangles, with a sharp knife. Carefully lift the cut pieces from the pan with a spatula or your hands.

Step 4

To fry the panelle, pour enough oil into a wide, heavy skillet to cover the bottom to depth of 1/2 inch and set over medium heat. When oil is hot, fry panelle about 2-3 minutes, until underside is crisp and golden then flip and brown the other side, 2-3 minutes. Place the Panelle on paper towels to drain excess oil. Drizzle lightly with salt and serve hot.

Step 5

If you are doing the dessert Panelle, drizzle with lemon and sprinkle with powder sugar. Serve hot