PANELLE

      Panelle is one of my all time favorite snacks. I eat it everyday when I visit Sicily in the summer. Its a fried chick pea fritter usually served on fresh Italian bread. Not many places in New York make it but two of the few places you can get panelle is Bar Matchless in Greenpoint and the infamous Ferdinando's in Redhook. I have not tried either yet. 

      I made it for my Italian class party. Its pretty easy to prepare. You basically boil chick pea flour as if its porridge. Once its really thick you take it off the flame and add some parsley, salt and lemon juice and pour it into a greased mold. I use a water bottle with both ends cut off for the mold. Let it cool then slice and fry in canola oil.

Panelle

1 lb. chick pea flour (also called garbanzo bean or cece flour)

1.5 Liters of Water

Salt

Fresh Lemon Juice

Chopped Parsley

Boil the water. Add the chick pea flour slowly stirring constantly. Lower the heat if it starts to boil over. Keep boiling until its thick. Keep stirring. Once it pulls from the side of the pot, season with salt, fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley. Pour the paste into a greased mold. Cooking spray works best. For the mold cut off the ends of the 1.5 Liter water bottle standing on one end. Push it down so its tightly in there. Let the panelle paste cool for a few hours in the fridge standing the bottle upright. Once its cool remove it from the mold and cut into thin slices. Fry in canola or gemma oil and season with salt. Serve on Italian bread. 

Dosas in Amagansett

My work often takes me to the Hamptons, NY and when I am there I stay in Amagansett, a great town halfway between East Hampton and Montauk. I always find myself there on Wednesday mornings, when every shop in the town is closed, except the Hampton Chutney Company, where for breakfast we eat dosas with warm chai tea.

A dosa is basically a gigantic Indian sour dough crepe, made with rice, so its gluten free.

When the question of portion control rears its unwelcome head at my meal, I always look at my plate and think, okay all that has to fit in my stomach. What is the rule? Your stomach is the size of about a fistful of food. But stretchy? At easily a foot long, dosas are rule breakers, and when we opt not to share one to get it closer to that fistful, we justify it with, "but are really light." 

The warm crispy dosas are filled with anything from traditional spicy potato masala to calamata olives, tomatoes, onions, arugula and goat cheese. There are 14 dosa combos on the menu and each are served a choice of the following fresh chutneys: cilantro, curry, mango, tomato, peanut or pumpkin. Cilantro, my favorite, so fresh and mildly sweet is also sold in a to-go tub so I can take it home and put it on everything from rice to apples. 

Pictured above: Mike, Yui, Miguel and the "Charlies" enjoying some Breakfast Dosas, filled with scrambled eggs, spinach, roasted tomato, jack cheese and avocado.

If you're not out east, there are two in locations NY. Go to Hampton Chutney Company for more info.

Thanks, Miguel for letting me borrow your amazing Canon 5D to take these photos!