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While you might be familiar with the more famous “Panisse“, these are the real McCoy.

panisses

Panisses are made from chickpea flour and shaped into hockey puck-sized disks. Once firm, their texture is similar to cooled polenta, and they’re cut into elongated bars and fried in very hot olive oil until crisp on the outside.


Lots of freshly-cracked pepper gets showered over them along with plenty of coarse sea salt.

They’re the perfect late-afternoon snack, along with an aperitif, before dinner…

wine

(My Recipe for panisses)

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31 comments

    • steamykitchen

    nice romantic table setting! who’s invited!?

    • neil

    They look so moorish, reckon I could eat a puck ot two of them.

    • Christy

    You had me at chickpea flour. One of the greatest things about being married to an Indian guy (aside from him, two fabulous kids, and the calm life we lead) is the fact that he introduced me to chickpea flour. Love it!

    • Kim

    David- This sounds so good, my kind of snack. Hope you are having fun in the South of France, it is years since I have been there, imagine it is beautiful now.

    • Dana Mccauley

    Would it be wrong to drizzle them with cider vinegar? They seem to be begging for it!

    • Charlene

    Mmmm, Panisse Marseillaises!
    I’d love a recipe if you have one! I’ve had them once here in California, and found some “recettes en francais,” but a recipe from a trusted source would be great. :)
    Best regards,
    Charlene

    • Emily

    Hi David —

    Couldn’t find a way to email you this comment or leave it on the archived post, but wanted to send a million thanks for your killer app candied peanut recipe. I made it exactly as stated (used a nonstick pan which worked great), it developed exactly like the pictures you posted, and best of all, THE TASTE! HEAVEN! Divine! Completely totally addictive! My dinner party guests were fighting over them…

    So many thanks…

    Emily

    • ChazFrench

    Recipe? Please!?

    • David

    Christy: yes, chickpea flour is one of the great flavors of Provence, and elsewhere. I can’t seem to get enough socca and panisses here. Am going out to find more today!

    Emily: Glad you liked the recipe as much as I do : )

    ChazFrench & Charlene: If you Google ‘socca recipe’ a few recipes in English turn up. I don’t think they’re all that difficult, either. Everyone here buys them from the local pasta shop, of which there are many. I’m going to experiment with them when I get home, too.

    Dana: I think you’d be run out of town if they caught you drizzling them with vinegar. The salt & pepper combo is just right.

    • Hot Garlic

    What a great idea! I’ve never used chickpea flour, I guess I should get going!

    • Deb Schiff

    Yum! Beany fries. I wonder how a drizzle of tahini sauce would do…

    • Amanda

    I had never heard of panisses until a few weeks ago, when they were offered as a side-dish. My dining partner asked the waiter, pointing at the menu, “What are panisses,” pronouncing the word like “pan-ees-iz”. The waiter looked at him, puzzled, and then corrected, “Oh, yes sir, you mean these? They are called more like pen-iss.”

    I must say, that put a new spin on dinner…

    • Mari

    So THAT is what the chickpea flour is for. I didn’t really have a good explanation for why I bought it… 2yrs ago.

    • Rebecca

    How can it be that I’ve never heard of these before? We love falafel and hummous, so I’d love another thing to do with chickpeas. Thanks!

    • Lucie

    Hi David,

    Just wanted to let you know that i really have gotten addicted to your blog! From the oh-so-useful substitution suggestions (I’m a young French American living in paris) to all your delicious international recipes, this is definitely part of my daily reading. Keep it up, it’s definitely making my workplace computer a happier place!…

    Best,
    Lucie

    • Signe

    I had no idea this is what Panisse meant. I wonder why chickpea flour has not been commonly used in the US. I love Indian pakora, which are vegetables dipped in a batter made of chickpea flour, spices, and water (and sometimes other ingredients like rice flour, beer, etc.). They are quick and easy to make and a great way to use up bits and pieces of veggies you may have in the fridge. Chickpea flour is also called “besan.” You can find a lot of recipes by googling pakora and you can see a demonstration of how to make them on YouTube. Thanks for telling us about Panisse and Socca!

    • EB

    I had some soggy ones at brunch this sunday… yours look like they are snappy cripsy. yum. They really are the perfect snack.

    • shauna

    Oh, yes please.

    Still, I have to echo others here. Your recipe would be especially welcome, my friend. I have only five weeks until the baby arrives, and this gluten-free pregnant woman is now craving panisses.

    • TACE

    This was an inspiring post. I searched for a recipe online as soon as I saw your photo..chickpea fries, oh my. Super easy, super delicious and my husband and I enjoyed them for lunch. If apple cider is a *no no* then I will not tell you we had bbq sauce with ours..I won’t…because it might be going too far.
    Thanks for introducing Panisses and I, we are beginning a lovely relationship.
    oh, p.s., I didn’t have chick pea flour but I had dried chickpeas so I just whizzed them up in my blender, worked fine.

    • loulou

    Chickpea flour dough…FRIED?!
    Doesn’t get much better than that.

    • Becky

    i had these at Jean Georges restaurant Jojo! They were cutely stacked like little lincoln logs and tasted amazing!

    • Meena

    Hi David, I’ve never heard of these before and am intruiged – they sound abosultely scrumptious and I can’t wait to try them out! I love how I always learn soething new whenever I drop in here. Now, if you’d be so kind to shoot out a recipe my way. I can slready see myself enjoying a big batch of these with some fabulous wine over the weekend! Cheers!

    Here’s a recipe online. Let us know how yours turn out! -DL

    • Peter

    I grew up with Sicilian parents and on the occasional weekend my mother would make panelle which are pretty much identical to panisse. I just put on salt and make a sandwich on toast. Now when i make them for my wife and kids they put ketchup on them which bothers me, but the worst is my brother in law- he puts mayo on his sangwich.

    • Angela

    I am a little slow on this one, but are panisses panelles in Italy?
    Recipe link.

    There are a couple of recipes listed under “chickpea fritters” or “panelles” on Epicurious.com.

    These look amazing! I have some chickpea flour in my freezer looking for a purpose. I think this is it!

    • David

    hi Angela: Yes, they’re pretty similar. I don’t think you need to deep-fry them, I just fried mine in a good amount of olive oil in a skillet. Enough to cover the bottom pretty well.

    • anothercatherine

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    I’ve just made my first batch, and they were lovely. So light, and crisp, and sweet, and nutty! As you can tell, I loved them.

    I think I’ll love them even more with a garlicky, lemony mayonnaise, if that’s not sacrilege.

    • Hillary

    Those look like french fries. Must we fry everything?

    • John Gilbert

    Hmmm…These look yummy! I wonder how they would taste rolled in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar? Maybe dipped in honey. I think I will try!

    • David

    John: Actually, they’re often served to youngsters dredged in sugar, for dessert. I really like them with lots of crackly salt and fresh pepper myself. Maybe I’m just old : )

    • Joy the Baker

    These look absolutely dreamy!

A

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