Panelle e Crocchè
Panelle e Crocchè: The more golden cylindrical shapes are Crocchè while the oblique paler ones are Panelle
Panelle e Crocchè: these two are often inseparable on menus in Sicily.
Walking down Via Cavour on my first evening in Palermo every menu I spotted started with this duo. There are little emporiums specializing in these, called Friggitoria, which means something like “Fry House” in which you will find mountains of Panelle e Crocchè and Arancini.
My focus for Rome was the Roman period whenever possible but for Palermo things didn't start to get interesting until the Arab invasion and subsequent rule, though short in duration the impact on this cities cuisine and architecture was long lasting. Palermo gets it's name from the Arabic 𝘉𝘢𝘭'𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮, lots of other Sicilian towns still have that ring of Arabic in their name, most famously 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘭'𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩, "the Port of Allah" — or Marsala.
Panelle probably should be more popular than it is in this so-called modern age, with the interest in wheat-free diets that exists where I come from Panelle is an excellent addition to your arsenal. I made it for my nephew when he was on such a diet and it was the first time I saw him eat something strange I made with such gusto.
Panelle is an Arab/Sicilian relative of Falafel, one major difference is that it is made from very fine ground chick pea (Garbanzo) flour, finer than flour, almost a dust really. While Falafel is course ground and, usually resulting, quite dry, Panelle are very "creamy" in consistency. And Panelle doesn't use any spices or flavorings aside from a couple pinches of parsely, and lastly it's shallow fried in olive oil whereas Falafel is deep fried in frying oil.
So to make Panelle you add fine ground chick pea flour to simmering salted water and stir until it thickens, very much like how you would make polenta. Once bubbly and thick you pour onto a marble surface or a sheet pan and let it cool, cut into any shapes you like, then fry in olive oil, presto!
Crocchè on the other hand are even simpler, it's an excellent way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, add a clove of crushed garlic, parsley, a pinch of pecorino cheese if you want and an egg and mix together and form the distinctive shape. Crocchè are the polite menu name, commonly these are known as Cazzilli which translates to "little pricks" there's no nicer way to translate that but there are much ruder ways. Once formed these are rolled in breadcrumbs and also fried in olive oil.