Panelle
The panelle are pancakes made with chickpea flour. They are a classic of Sicilian cuisine, especially in Palermo. The panelle are eaten with bread combined with potato croquettes. The batter is prepared with chickpea flour, parsley or fennel seeds for a unique aroma, is cooked in a pot and then allowed to solidify in a mold. Then the dough is cut into thin slices and these are fried in hot oil, creating the golden and fragrant panelle. As well as bread, as a tradition, the fritters are also served as an appetizer with some lemon.
Spaghetti con i ricci di mare
Spaghetti with sea urchins are a tasty dish. The distinctive flavor of the urchis is enhanced by a simple recipe with a sauté of garlic and oil and pulp of raw sea urchins, with a sprinkling of parsley. Fishing for sea urchins is very active in Sicily where the urchins are eaten even simple, straight from the shell with a spoon or with a piece of bread.
Pasta con broccoli arriminati
Pasta with broccoli arriminati, or pasta chi vruocculi arriminati is a dish that has its origin in Palermo. Arriminati means mixed, in the recipe they use the most tender parts of cauliflower, sardines, pine nuts and raisins, create a creamy dressing that goes mixed, at the end of cooking add the saffron, which gives the characteristic yellow color . The pasta should be cooked in the same water in which the broccoli were boiled to absorb the flavor, then is drained and poured into the pan along with the rest, to mix all the ingredients.
Pasta con le sarde
Pasta with sardines is a first course that has its origin in Palermo. Like many other dishes it originated during the Arab domination of Sicily. The main ingredients are excellent fresh sardines, anchovies, pine nuts, wild fennel and saffron. They also add passoline, a type of typical Sicilian raisins, different from common dry grapes because is less sweet and fits best with savory dishes. A creamy sauce is made with the ingredients, the pasta is boiled in the same water where the fennel is cooked. The finishing touch is a sprinkling of muddica atturrata, that is the bread crumbs or the crumb of toasted bread in a pan and then seasoned with olive oil, in some cases some sugar can be added to get a delicious sweet and sour taste.
Pesce spada alla palermitana
The Palermo Swordfish is an excellent second dish of fish. The recipe does not require many ingredients and is easy to prepare to enjoy the best part of swordfish. They use fish slices soaked in olive oil and sprinkled with bread crumbs and parsley. The swordfish slices are cooked in a pan and can be served hot or cold. The crunchy breading has the pulp of succulent and delicious seafood at the inside, served with a fresh salad, a superlative summer dish!