Sweet Panzerotti with Chickpeas and Almonds are a traditional Lucanian dessert typically made during Christmas holidays. Families gather together to prepare these sweets in large quantities, even for friends and relatives. They are part of a tradition that I like to keep alive, especially since it is part of my husband’s childhood.
To speed up the preparation time, use the Imperia pasta machine with the PastaFacile electric motor, I find it excellent, check out the link at the bottom of the page!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: About 20 sweet panzerotti
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3.5 tbsp olive oil
- 7 tbsp dry white wine (about)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 packet vanillin (0.2g)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 3 oz canned chickpeas (boiled and drained)
- 3 oz almonds (toasted)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp coffee (about 2g)
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (about 15g)
- 1.75 oz raisins (optional)
- 1 tbsp Marsala (or other liqueur)
- 3.5 oz fig jam (or grape jam)
- 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Pasta machine Imperia
- 1 Cookie cutter Round shape
Preparation
On a pastry board, form a well with the flour, add the vanillin, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon. In a glass, mix the oil with the sugar and gently heat them to dissolve the sugar more easily.
Pour the oil and wine into the well, you might not need to use all the wine, add it as needed while kneading. You should get a slightly hard, smooth, homogeneous, and elastic dough. Let it rest covered with cling film for about 30 minutes.
Put the drained chickpeas in a mixer and blend well, remove them from the mixer and also blend the toasted almonds.
In a bowl, place the ground chickpeas and almonds, add the sugar, coffee, cocoa, and mix with a spoon.
Now add the liqueur, jam, and raisins. Mix well to combine the ingredients, taste to check if the flavor balance is to your liking.
I recommend not adding too much coffee as it has a very strong flavor that could overpower the other ingredients.
Take about 150g of dough, flatten it with your hands and pass it through the pasta machine on the first setting (the widest). Then pass it again on a middle setting and finally on the penultimate setting (if you prefer a thinner sheet, you can reach the last setting). You should obtain strips about 1/12 inch thick.
If you prefer, you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
Using a cookie cutter with a 4-inch diameter, cut out circles.
Place a good teaspoon of filling on top.
Fold the circles in half and seal the edges with the prongs of a fork.
Prick the dough with a toothpick to prevent them from puffing up during cooking.
In a pan, pour about 2 cups of vegetable oil for frying. Heat it well; it will be ready when a small ball of dough rises immediately to the surface.
Fry the panzerotti (do not overcrowd) in the pan with the oil for a few seconds on each side. They should be golden brown.
Place the panzerotti on a plate lined with a napkin to absorb excess oil.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy them.
Suggestions/Tips
If you enjoyed Sweet Panzerotti with Chickpeas and Almonds, try other Christmas sweets:
Tools used: more information
The pasta machine I use is by Imperia, one of the best available. Since my mom also uses it and finds it a bit tiring to turn the handle manually, we decided to get the model with the electric motor. It assembles and disassembles in an instant and you can prepare all the pasta you want with no effort.
For more information and if you want to proceed with the purchase, click on the following link, it will take you directly to the relevant Amazon page:
The Imperia pasta machine with electric motor PastaFacile 
With this pasta machine, you can achieve sheets with 6 different thicknesses and make two types of pasta: 2 mm wide tagliatelle and 6.5 mm wide fettuccine. Once mounted on the machine, the PastaFacile motor will allow you to prepare a homogeneous sheet, as the rollers will work at a constant speed.
This content contains an affiliate link.
Tools used: more information
To make the circles, I used these cutters, which I find very convenient not only for making cookies. In fact, I also use them to cut puff pastry or gnocchi alla romana dough. They are declared to be BPA-free and do not contain harmful or toxic chemicals.
I find them very practical, easy to store, without sharp corners, making them suitable for children and they come in bright colors. You can use the smooth side or the flower side, both are very functional.
If you want to take a look and proceed with the purchase, click on the following link, it will take you directly to the relevant Amazon page:
This content contains an affiliate link.
