Panelle

Preparation:

Preparation: That is: fried chickpea polenta (Western Sicily). Dissolve the chickpea flour in moderately salted water over a gentle heat, always turning with the wooden spatula in the same direction, to obtain a soft, lump-free paste. When the pasta detaches from the pot, it is poured into the appropriate oiled wooden molds or onto the marble, where it is flattened to a height of about half a centimetre. As soon as the pasta cools, cut into strips or squares: these are fried in boiling oil or lard. Palermitans eat pane e panelle, that is some fried panelle, still hot, inside freshly baked bread, cut in half, with a few drops of lemon and salt. Sometimes, chopped parsley also appears within the chickpea flour. It is a popular specialty similar to the Ligurian panissa or certain Tunisian pancakes.