Healthy Panelle Recipe: Vegan, Gluten free

This Healthy Panelle Recipe is a variation of the iconic traditional street food also referred to as Sicilian chickpea fries. They are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Naturally gluten-free and vegan, this flavorful, and healthy finger food makes the perfect appetizer. 

Have you ever heard of Sicilian chickpea fritters? 

According to Wikipedia, they are “made from chickpea flour and other ingredients. They are popular street food in Palermo and are often eaten between slices of bread or on a roll, like a sandwich”.

What is not mentioned is that they are deep-fried.

As a dietitian with an Italian upbringing, there are only a handful of family recipes that I exempt from my no-fry rule. 

One of them is Calzoni di Ceci (Chocolate Chick Pea Calzoni); another one is this recipe for these Christmas Eve donuts or as my nonna would call them, screppelle.

Since I have no emotional attachment to panelle, I decided to eliminate the deep frying.

Baked panelle or pan-frying them became my options.

The results were a hit with family and friends. 

Let me walk you through the process of making them.

How to make panelle

Let’s begin by greasing or lining an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside for now.

In a medium pot, add 1 teaspoon of salt to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

How to make panelle

Let’s begin by greasing or lining an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside for now.

In a medium pot, add 1 teaspoon of salt to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, whisk together ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, and 1 cup of chickpea flour. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and combine it with the dry ingredients.

Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Slowly add the chickpea mixture into the water, and whisk continually, scraping the bottom and sides, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Don’t walk away from the mixture, even for a minute – just whisk!

Aim for the consistency of polenta. Try your best to minimize the clumps as you whisk.

Once you have whisked everything together, quickly pour the resulting mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Place the pan in the fridge until it sets, a minimum of 30 minutes. When the mixture has set, you are ready to start pan-frying or baking!

Cut the now-set chickpea mixture into rectangles roughly 1 inch wide. You can also cut them one half inch wide for them to resemble thin home fries.

To Pan-Fry: Heat one and a half tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat (If you recall, we used this same method to make these delicious Italian Potato Croquettes). Pan fry half the sticks, rotating them regularly so that all sides brown evenly. When all sides have taken on some color, you are done! Remove them from heat, set them aside, and repeat with the remaining sticks.

To Bake: Coat the sticks with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and place a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degrees oven, for about 30-45 minutes, until crispy, turning them at the halfway mark.

That’s it!

Only about 20 minutes of active time and you have the perfect little appetizer, ready to be eaten.

Tips

• Pour and spread the chickpea batter quickly in a greased pan as it sets very quickly.
• A greased rubber spatula helps facilitate the spreading of the batter in the pan.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.
• There is an inactive time of 30 minutes while the mixture firms up in the refrigerator.

What makes this healthy panelle recipe so awesome? 

1 – A wonderful finger food! If you like serving great appetizers, these chickpea flour sticks certainly fit the bill! Serve them with this garlic yogurt sauce and watch these little treats disappear right before your eyes.

2 – The ingredients! You only need six ingredients to make these delicious little sticks, five of which I’m sure you already have on hand: salt, pepper, red chili flakes, garlic, and olive oil. The sixth ingredient is chickpea flour, naturally gluten-free, which you can find in the health or gluten-free sections of your grocery store.

3 – The flexibility in taste! Add more (or less) red chili flakes to suit your needs.

4 – The flavor! You would think that a recipe with so few ingredients would probably be on the “simple” side of the taste spectrum. But these pack a surprising punch! These appetizers have a complex, savory flavor that will take you completely by surprise the first time you taste them.

5 – The assembly! There is really nothing to it! One of the simplest recipes you will ever make.

6 – Appropriateness for guests with different dietary restrictions! As they are vegan and gluten-free, it makes the perfect party food when entertaining family and friends.

7 – The healthiness! Chickpea flour is a good source of protein, iron, and dietary fiber.  Eliminating the frying makes these sticks stay as light and healthy as can be.

As you can see, this healthy panelle recipe is perfect in so many ways and are so easy to assemble as well.

More appetizer recipes

If you enjoy easy Italian appetizers, make sure to check out my mom’s recipe for polenta pizza, it really is such a great alternative to bread.  Top it off with just a few herbs or if you like roasted peppers or eggplant caponata. 

Recipe inspiration

My daughter loves to travel.

A few years ago, upon returning from a Vancouver trip, she mentioned making chickpea fries in the hostel where she was staying.

Upon describing the ingredients, and how to make them, I just knew I had to try it out!

While researching these ingredients, it turns out that these fritters, a popular finger-food from the south of France, are called Panisse. My daughter informed me that the young woman who showed her how to make these was originally from Nice. 

I also discovered that a variation, called panelle, is a street food specialty in Palermo, Sicily.

The preferred method for both of these traditional recipes is deep frying.

Long story short… since I have no emotional ties to this recipe, there was no way I was going to fry them!

When experimenting in the kitchen with my daughter, we tried pan-frying and baking them. It made for a fun and relaxing morning, and at the end of it all, both variations tasted just fabulous, without any deep frying.

These chickpea sticks are a recent discovery for me, and an automatic hit with the family!

An easy-to-make, spicy, gluten-free and vegan appetizer made with simple ingredients.

They also make for a great snack.

I hope you get a chance to try them. 

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ If you have made these chickpea flour fritters, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

This post was originally published on January 2, 2018, and republished on April 16, 2020 with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing!