Last Updated on May 20, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Panelle – Sicilian Chickpea Fritters
This Sicilian street food are the perfect gluten free snack to serve at your next party. Perfect for holiday parties and Football Sunday!
It’s holiday season, which means it’s time for holiday parties. Are you looking for a great snack to serve at your next holiday party. Well panelle is your answer – a snack that almost anyone can eat, regardless of dietary restrictions.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free, this Mediterranean snack will be an instant crowd pleaser. The only thing is that it should be served warm. It loses it’s oomph when it chills! However, you can fry them first and then reheat in the oven as needed. I actually preferred the reheated ones from the oven to the freshly fried ones, They were crispier.
These fritters are popular in different regions of Italy and France, with slight variations in shape and sometimes ingredients. Panelle are shaped as crescents or rectangles in Sicily. In Genoa and Nice, they are cut into thick slices almost like French Fries, where they are called panissa. In Nice, they are sometimes also made with cornmeal. In Genoa, parsley isn’t utilized. The French version known as panisse is sweet. There they are cut into round shapes and instead of parsley, they are sprinkled with sugar and served with jam.
Before we get to today’s recipe, let’s check out some other savory snacks!
Snack Recipes
When you get to Sicily, don’t forget to try this popular street food!
Panelle – Sicilian Chickpea Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- oil for frying
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine chickpea flour and 3 cups water. Stir until very smooth.
- Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously with a whisk to avoid lumps.
- Add salt, pepper and parsley. Continue cooking, stirring continuously for another 5 minutes until the consistency is like a thick porridge.
- Transfer to a lightly oiled surface or dish. Spread in a layer about ½” thick.
- Leave to cool and set.
- Cut into rectangles or use a half moon shaped cookie cutter and cut into crescent shapes.
- Heat enough oil for deep frying.
- Add panelle and fry until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little more salt, as soon as it comes out of the oil.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
DO YOU YUM? SAVE IT BELOW!
YumDon’t forget to visit the RECIPE INDEX with over 1000 recipes from around the world including lots of Vegetarian Recipes and Gluten Free Recipes!
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#83
This post may include affiliate links.
I was looking for this dish and here you are posting it as well!..I loved it when I read how it is made, I am surely making it..:0)
Reading the recipe can imagine how wonderful it tastes and also reminded me of khandvi though it is not deep fried.
The other day I was reading about these fritters and found them so much like our Indian Pakoras , bookmarking this one to try soon .
Just like Usha mentioned, The moment I read the procedure, It reminded me of kandvi , but a deep fried version if it exists at all 🙂 Very tempting and doable as well.
Looks so delicious Mir, interesting dish.
Those Panelle look and sound absolutely delicious Mir. So crispy and addictive. I will try this out some time soon.
looks awesome and must be tasty.. treat for eyes as of now. surely gonna try this.
it was so addictive. I am sure you would love it
Wow, super crispy fritters, am just drooling over those ultimate panelle. Too tempting.
yes – they make such a great snack…and agree they are droolworthy 🙂