Recipes

/

Home & Leisure

A taste of Sicily: Classic Italian street food made right in your kitchen

By Mario Batali, Tribune Content Agency on

I love panelle (Sicilian fritters) in any form, but perhaps my favorites are served in carts in the Vucciria market in Palermo, Italy. The addition of corn and zucchini as a salsa would seem superfluous to a true Siciliana, but makes a lot of sense to me.

This classic Italian street food is made with a base of chickpea flour, also called garbanzo bean flour or gram, which is an amazing wheat alternative for impressing your gluten-free friends. Creamy garbanzo beans are ground into a fine, protein-rich powder, widely available at most local markets. Similar to polenta, chickpea flour transforms into a porridge-like consistency when mixed with boiling water and solidifies as it cools. The flour's versatility extends beyond even savory and into baked goods; think vegan meringues or Paleo treats if that's your jam.

Be sure to refrigerate these panelle rounds for 30 minutes so they hold their shape when fried. To keep the panelle intact as the golden disks of glory they so deliciously are, delicately remove them from the oil with a spider (utensil) or slotted spatula.

As with many fried foods, panelle are best when served hot and paired with something bright, zesty and acidic. I use this season's very best vegetables in my salsa, which includes corn, zucchini and tomatoes, plus added jalapenos for that same kick of heat you'd find at street vendor on the summer streets of Sicily.

Panelle with Zucchini and Corn Salsa

Serves 4

 

For the salsa:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 ears corn, husked, kernels cut from cobs

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice

...continued

swipe to next page

 

 

Comics

Dogs of C-Kennel Daryl Cagle Hi and Lois Humor Me (Leave Caption In Comments) Crankshaft Adam Zyglis