Recipe of the week: Chickpea Panissa

Chickpeas Panissa, also panizza or paniccia, is a typical Ligurian dish using the same ingredients in another delicious local dish, chickpea farinata, similar to Nice's Socca.

Panissa is preferably consumed warm or at room temperature, hot, fried, or in a salad.

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of chickpea flour;

• 1 liter of water;

• 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil,

• salt to taste

This recipe follows the traditional procedure:

1. In a large bowl dissolve the chickpea flour with warm water, stirring well until the mixture is well blended, using a whisk to avoid lumps.

2. Add olive oil and let the panissa rest for at least 2 hours, then add salt and cook in a non-stick pan for 50-60 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, as you would do when preparing polenta.

3. Pour into a large dish previously greased with olive oil, flatten with the back of a spoon and leave to cool to room temperature.

4. Finally, put the panissa on a cutting board and cut it into slices or cubes, depending on whether you want to eat it fried or in salads.

Panissa can be served in a salad in various ways; diced with fresh onion's thin rings and seasoned with olive oil, lemon, salt and a pinch of pepper is a classic.

It is also delicious sautéed in olive oil along with sliced onions and chopped parsley. Or served warm as an accompaniment to some fish dishes such as octopus and squid. Yum!