Have you ever had panelle? Similar to the southern French socca, this Sicilian chickpea fritter is crispy, savory, and simple to make. It may be known as a street food, but this tasty snack also works well on a lunch or dinner plate…

Panelle is made from a basic mixture of water and chickpea flour cooked into a porridge (like polenta), and then cooled until firm, cut into pieces, and fried in olive oil. The initial cooking requires quite a bit of stirring, but you can make it ahead of time, perhaps on a weekend, and then fry it just before serving. Serve as is or top the warm fritters with coarse sea salt, freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, grated hard cheese, or herbs like parsley and rosemary. It makes an addictive appetizer, sandwich filling, or accompaniment to dinner.

Check out these recipes:

• Fried Chickpea Polenta (Panelle) - A basic recipe from Lidia Bastianich
• Chickpea Fritters - Gourmet's version with parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Chickpea Panelle with Goat Cheese and Salsa Rustica - A fresh Food & Wine recipe
• Panelle with wilted greens - We like how this Notebook recipe balances the fritters with chicory or spinach
• Fried Panelle Sandwich - Food Mayhem says this is perfect for vegetarian barbecue guests
• Panelle + Asparagus & Gorgonzola over Yellow Tomato Sauce - Inspiration from The Chubby Vegetarian

Related: Crispy, Chewy, Gluten-Free: Socca (Chickpea Pancake) Recipe

(Image: Gourmet/Martyn Thompson; Food & Wine/John Kernick; Notebook/Ben Dearnley)