Panisse Recipe: Chickpeas & Citrus Aioli

December 15, 2020
Wicked
French

Updated: February 02, 2022

45 minutes
10-12 pieces
0.0

This Panisse recipe creates the most delicious chickpea fries, popular in southern France. They’re crispy on the outside and creamy in the center. Flavor-wise, they’re fairly average, so I like to spike them with black garlic, which is slowly fermented garlic with deep, earthy, caramel-y, almost-sweet, pungent flavors. Look for black garlic in gourmet stores or online. It keeps forever. You’ll find yourself using it on pizza, in pasta…anywhere you need some oomph. If you can’t find it, use roasted garlic paste. Serve them up with zesty citrus aioli and watch them disappear!

Ingredients

FOR THE PANISSE:

2 tbsp everyday olive oil
¼ yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, mashed into a paste or zested
3 cups (750ml) vegetable stock
1 cup (250ml) non-dairy milk, unsweetened
1½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2¼ cups (280g) chickpea flour
peanut oil or vegetable oil, for shallow frying
coarse sea salt, for garnish
citrus aioli, for dipping (recipe below)

FOR THE CITRUS AIOLI:

⅓ cup (5 tbsp) plant-based mayonnaise
1 tbsp green onion, minced
¼ cup (60ml) fresh-squeezed orange juice
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp rosemary (optional)
freshly ground black pepper

*OPTIONS: Instead of making finger-shaped Panisse, use a cookie cutter to cut out rounds or other shapes; top the fried rounds with the aioli (and herbs or minced vegetables if you like) and serve as canapés.

Instructions

FOR THE PANISSE:

Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, cut the heat to medium, and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the Garlic, then the stock and milk. Continue to cook, whisking, until the garlic is evenly distributed.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk in the salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the chickpea flour until it’s fully incorporated with no lumps. Use a wooden spoon to continue stirring, and cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles 5 to 8 minutes. It should be somewhat thick but still pourable. If it becomes too stiff to stir, whisk in a little more milk or stock.
Quickly pour the mixture into the pan, spreading it to the edges and smoothing the top. Let stand until set, at least 20 minutes. Or cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (This is a good time to make the aioli.)
To cut and cook the Panisse, invert the pan onto a cutting board, remove the parchment, and cut the square into fingers the size of large French fries, about 3 inches long and ¾ inch wide.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add a single layer of Panisse without crowding and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels and immediately sprinkle with flake salt. Continue cooking the Panisse with fresh oil as needed.
Stack the Panisse on a plate. Serve with the aioli for dipping.

FOR THE CITRUS AIOLI:

Mix everything together in a small bowl. The aioli will thin out as it sits, which is fine. You want the consistency to be more like a creamy dipping sauce and less like a stiff mayonnaise.