In the kitchen: panelle - a curious treat

When @deirdyweirdy gave us more than a sneak peak into her refrigerator - I was intrigued. It was not only because her refrigerator was so organized but because she had something on her shelves that I wasn’t familiar with. Panelle!! She went on to say that it was "food from heaven". I thought wow - I need to try this. I have never heard of panelle but I was curious so I checked Google and learnt that it's a popular street food in Sicily. I have even walked those streets for 7 unforgettable days but did not eat any panelle. Maybe it’s because I was more focused on icecream or because I did not stay in Palermo.

So what is panelle? The first definition I found was from Wikipedia:

Panella (pl.: panelle) is a Sicilian fritter made with chickpea flour and other ingredients, usually including water, salt, pepper, olive oil, and finely chopped parsley.

This is the extent of the recipe - nothing fancy. I can assure it is a tasty vegan treat that is worth trying.

I do not need to be in Sicily to enjoy italian treats - I stepped into my own kitchen and eagerly whipped up a batch. As It seemed so straightforward - I decided to make it without measuring anything. Although it should be served on a seed (e.g. sesame) bread, I used what I had at home which was spelt bread. It was really delicious nonetheless.

The true test was serving it to my teenagers.
At first I heard, “The filling looks suspicious, what’s this?"
Thereafter, “Mmm it is actually pretty good!”
The panelle sandwich - pane e panelle in italian - passed with flying colours.

Now I’ve decided to use measurements in order to share the recipe with you.

The ingredients

• 250g chickpea (garbanzo) flour
• 1 tablespoon or salt to taste
• 725-750ml water
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or to taste
• vegetable oil as needed
• lemon wedges for serving (optional)
• parmesan cheese (optional)
  

The method

1. Pour the water into a large pot then add the salt.

2. Sift in the chickpea flour, a little at a time and whisk until the mixture has a foamy and smooth texture thus ensuring that there are no lumps.
   

3. Place the pot over medium heat.

4. Stir the mixture continuously - as it cooks, it will thicken.
   

5. Lower the fire after the first boil.

6. Continue stirring the mixture until it becomes a dense paste but not hard. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

7. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

8. Place the mixture onto grease proof paper on a baking tray or a lined loaf pan.
   

9. Level with a spatula and/or cover with an additonal sheet of grease proof paper and use a rolling pin to obtain a flat surface - about 0.5 -1 cm thick.
   

10. Allow the mixture to completely cool and set for about 1 hour. (It can be placed it in the refrigerator )

11. Cut the panelle into squares on the baking sheet.
    

12. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and fry over medium heat.

13. Allow space between the pieces - do not overcrowd the pan.
    

14. Fry the panelle for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.

15. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

16. Drizzle fresh lemon juice on the panelle.
    

17. Serve hot on (Italian) bread with extra parsley if you wish.

Enjoy!

Tips

• The type of bread does not seem to matter too much - however I will try it next time with a seeded italian bread. On my second attempt, I used the brown bread that I had at home and it was still tasty.
  

Based on your taste buds:

• add extra lemon juice - it enhances the flavor.
• add parmesan cheese - try it with or without then decide if you like it. I did.
  
• add a pinch of grounded black pepper to the pot when adding the chick pea flour. I tried one version with black pepper - it did not alter the taste.
• Make the recipe your own and enjoy!

Thank you @deirdyweirdy - this is a humble and easy to make recipe which was indeed a treat!

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All photos are my own - taken with my iPhone.