Panelle are, together with cazzilli and arancine, the most famous Sicilian street food, and that is why I immediately knew I had to feature them on the menu of the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event! They are delicious on their own when eaten hot, but they become the best fast food if eaten in a warm Mafalda roll. It is a dish of Arab origin, like many others in the area and they are so easy to make, you may not believe me… but I have pictures to prove it! 
Would you believe that all you need is chickpea flour and water?? Read on to see how these 2 simple ingredients transform into such an amazing treat!
Recipe adapted from Ricette di Sicilia
Ingredients:
300 gms – 10.5 oz. chickpea flour
900 ml – 30.5 oz. water
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Mix the flour and water together in a pot, making sure too break all the lumps. TIP: if you still get lumps, use a hand mixer to stir well and dissolve them. Add salt and pepper and put the pot on the fire, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. It is just like making polenta. You will need to obtain a creamy mixture (it will happen pretty fast). Add the chopped parsley, mix and turn the fire off.
Quickly spread the mixture on flat plates/trays with a wooden spoon. Make sure the sheet of cheakpea mixture is thick 2-3 mm – 0.1 inch and not more. Let them cool down completely, then cut them with a knife and put them on a clean plate.
You can also put them one on top of the other as they do not stick.
Keep them in the fridge until it is time to fry them. NOTE: do not make panelle more than 24 hours prior to frying them as they get spoiled quickly.
Deep fry them until golden in hot vegetable oil and serve HOT with a sprinkle of salt and pepper inside a warm Mafalda roll (or any other white bread).
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Yum, that looks great. I see chick pea flour in the store, but never knew any dishes it could be used in. Thanks for sharing!
Buon anno Manu! A dicembre ho preparato una farinata genovese… buona! Nell’aspetto assomiglia molto alle panelle ma vedo che il procedimento è diverso, scommetto però che la bontà sarà uguale… o forse superiore?!
Il mio ragazzo, che è stato a Palermo, le adora… prima o poi le dovrò fare
An amazing treat, no kidding! And I’ve never seen chickpea flour, you highlight it so well.
I’ve been seeing your creations on Tastespotting, and others like it, keep up the great work!
Happy New Year Manu!
I didn’t realize the Italians used chick pea flour, how interesting. Instead of deep frying, could you pan fry them in just a little oil? Or even baking them? Your bread looks gorgeous too.
You could definitely give it a try. The main thing is getting them crunchy… so, maybe, the oven would work better. I would still spray/brush them with some olive oil and then bake them on a high temperature. Let me know how you go!
These are so fun and look delicious, I can see why they are so popular
Happy New Year!
heyyy Manu
Hows you doing darling? Happy New Year to you and your family! This dish is very similar to an Indian dish .. can’t remember the name now .. i think it’s a Gujarati dish.
Beautifully presented !
Thanks for posting you recipe for Panelle. It’s almost identical to Panisse, a thick chick pea slab that you see in the markets in South of France. I prefer your Panelle though – much thinner and more elegant like another of my favourite chick pea dishes- Socca! Love your blog!
I’ve never heard about panelle when I first saw it I thought they were like chips but I was surprised that you put them in a sandiwch, it sounds interesting but it looks quite delicious
Oh my goodness, this sounds so, so fantastic!
Manu, you always made me hungry!
I never had panelle, but I dream about going to Sicilia, soon, and I can’t wait to taste all this wonderful dishes
what an interesting dish! I think I never heard of it. I find the cooking process extremely intriguing!