New Year’s Eve Recipe: Vegan Chickpea Fries (Panisse) With Citrus Aioli

Panisse are chickpea fries, popular in southern France. Chickpea flour makes them crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. They have a mild flavor, kind of like potato French fries, so we amp them up with black garlic, a type of slowly fermented garlic with deep, earthy, caramel-y, pungent, and almost sweet flavors. Black garlic is the bomb, and it keeps forever.

Look for it in gourmet stores or online. You’ll find yourself using it in pasta, on pizza…anywhere you need a little oomph. If you can’t find it, use roasted garlic paste. Serve the Panisse with zesty citrus aioli for a fantastic party appetizer!

What You'll Need to Make Chickpea Fries

Chickpea fries are easy to make and many of the ingredients you'll already have on hand, like everyday olive oil, vegetable stock, garlic, black pepper, plant milk, vegetable oil, and sea salt. Maybe... you even have an onion leftover from taco night. The only ingredient you may need to find at the grocery store is chickpea flour.

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Black garlic
• Vegetable stock
• Plant milk
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Chickpea flour
• Vegetable oil
• Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Where Can I Buy Chickpea Flour?

Chickpea flour made from dried chickpeas is available at most grocery stores, however, it may be under a different name such as garbanzo flour, gram flour, and besan. Bob's Red Mill sells chickpea flour and is also available online and on Amazon.

Are Chickpea Fries Vegan?

This chickpea fries recipe is 100 percent vegan, but many others may contain dairy or eggs to bind together the dry and wet ingredients. The citrus aioli is made with dairy-free mayonnaise that tastes just like the real thing, it may even surprise you that it's vegan!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: (plus 20 minutes cooling time)

Vegan Chickpea Panisse With Citrus Aioli

Makes 8-10 pieces

Ingredients

Panisse

• 2 Tbsp everyday olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 Tbsp mashed black garlic
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups chickpea flour
• Peanut oil or vegetable oil, for frying
• Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Citrus Aioli:

• 1/3 cup plant-based mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp minced green onion
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, optional

Instructions

1. For the Panisse: Coat a 9-inch square baking dish with olive oil and line with parchment paper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cut the heat to medium, and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the black garlic, then the stock and milk. Continue to cook, whisking, until the garlic is evenly distributed.
2. 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 gets too stiff to stir, whisk in a little more milk or stock.
3. Quickly pour the mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly 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.
   For the aioli: Mix everything together in a small bowl. The consistency will thin out a bit as it sits, which is fine. It should be more like a creamy dipping sauce and less like a stiff mayonnaise. Keep chilled until ready to use.
4. When ready to serve, invert the pan of Panisse onto a cutting board, remove the parchment, and cut the square into fingers the size of large French fries, about 3 inches long and 3/4 inch wide.
5. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the Panisse without crowding and cook until lightly browned all over, 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.
6. Stack the Panisse on a plate. Serve with the aioli for dipping.

Note:
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.