Chickpea Panisse

At the end of our California vacation, we stopped in Sonoma at the Girl and the Fig.  Once I saw chickpea panisse on the menu, I knew i needed to try it.

Artfully plated Girl and FIg panisseMy recreation (ignore the nasty broccoflower puree)

These chickpea cakes are common in the Nice area of France. They have a crisp outer layer with almost a thick custard inward. There were a handful on web recipes, apparently a contestant on Top Chef made these as fries. I used Mark Bittman’s method since it made the most sense to me.

Basically, you cook chickpea flour (besan) like you would polenta and let it chill in a dish. Appetizing, right?

Some recipes called for making them into fry shapes or circles, but triangles were what we knew and it seemed like less waste.

I dusted them with all purpose flour and then pan fried them in a bit of olive oil.

The husband had them with fish, that evil broccoflower puree and a salad. They’d also be good as an appetizer for parties. We’ll have these again for sure.