Panisse

Panisse came to the South of France from Italian workers of the Piedmont and Liguria regions. The chickpea fries have a light crisp exterior and a custardy center. Psst. They’re also gluten free.

Making panisse was one of my least favorite projects when I did box production, and it was always my prep project. I know this isn’t convincing you to make it. It’s not a difficult recipe by any means, but I have to warn you: it’s sweaty and dangerous. The panisse spits hot lava as it cooks, and you have to stir constantly for at least 20 minutes. I recommend long sleeved shirts, an apron, and two pairs of gloves to avoid any burns.

One last tip: be sure to get your pan ready before you start cooking — heavily doused with nonstick spray— and don’t stop cooking too early. I would sometimes place a metal sheet tray in the freezer to test a small blob to see if it would hold together. If you under-cook it, it won’t set up enough to hold a “fry” shape.

After all that — you may ask, is this recipe worth it? We like to think so. And so does the French Riviera. Or you could just order The July Box, and we’ll risk the burns:)

Panisse
makes about 60 fries

shopping list —

• 460 grams chickpea flour

• 1 ea garlic clove, microplaned

• 10 grams roasted garlic puree

• 22.5 grams salt

• 2000 grams chicken stock

• 15 grams lemon oil

• 2.5 grams olive oil

for frying —

• canola oil

equipment —

• large, wide pot

• gram scale

• blender

• deep loaf pan

• nonstick spray

• parchment paper

• whisk

• rubber spatula

for frying —

• deep pot

• sheet tray with a rack, or paper towels

• slotted spoon

steps —

1. Line a half hotel pan with nonstick spray (aggressive) and parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Spray the parchment.

2. Bring half of the chicken stock to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, blend the garlic, roasted garlic puree, salt, oils, chicken stock, and chickpea flour until smooth. You may have to do this in two batches.

4. Poor the mixture into the boiling stock and whisk.

5. Whisking constantly, cook the panisse until a skin forms on the bottom of the pot. Switch to a rubber spatula and keep stirring, scraping down the sides as you go. Cook until it has thickened enough to stand up like a puree. If you spoon a little of the panisse on top of the rest of the mixture it should hold its shape.

6. Quickly pour it into the sprayed loaf pan and bang it on the floor or counter to get out any air bubbles.

7. Cover the top with another spritz of nonstick spray and a layer of parchment. Allow to sit out for 10 minutes to cool slightly, then chill in the refrigerator overnight.

8. The next day, pull out the panisse and flip it upside down onto a cutting board. Slice the panisse about 3/4 inch wide into long slabs (hot-dog way). Cut each slab into “fries” about 3/4 inch thick.

9. Meanwhile, fill a pot of oil at least 3 inches deep and heat over medium to medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350ºF. Fry the panisse fries in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Fry until golden brown and delicious (GBD). Using a slotted spoon, pull out the fries, season with salt, and allow to drain on paper towels or a sheet tray with a rack.