Winter warmers
As the winter season sets in, the comforting warmth of a steaming bowl of soup is just what the body and soul need.
When the days are shorter and the temperatures are lower, people look to several winter staples to keep their families warm and full. There’s nothing better than savoury fritters made with chickpea flour and tea.
Here is a quick recipe of Panelle e Cazzilli which are a part of the typical hot starters you could serve.
Panelle
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Ingredients (for 2)
Chick-pea flour: 300gms
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Parsley (chopped)
Preparation
Mix the flour with the pinch of salt with water, add chopped parsley to the mixture, and mix well with a spoon to get really soft, lump-free dough. When the dough is ready it comes off the pan sides and you then place it in the tray to which you add oil, the dough should be reduced to a thickness of half a centimetre. Wait for it to cool and cut it into rectangular shapes. The moulds used by the panellari often have their initials engraved in them, to create personalized panelle versions. The panelle shapes are then deep-fried. When ready, they are placed in the breadbasket with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon.
Cazzilli
Ingredients (for 2)
Potatoes: 350gms
Parmesan cheese (grated): 100gms
Bread crumbs
Flour: 100gms
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper
Nutmeg
Preparation
Boil the peeled potato in salted water and mash with a potato masher. Add 30 grams of grated Parmesan cheese and Bread crumb to the mixture, a dusting of nutmeg and pepper and then mix. Make a mix of flour and some water separately. Create cylindrical croquettes with the potato mixture then coat them first in the flour mixture and then in the breadcrumbs and cheese. Fry the croquettes in a pan with abundant olive oil. Serve them all in a bowl or basket.
(Recipe courtesy: Chef Om Nayak)
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