If panelle (chickpea fritters, a specialty of Palermo) had siblings, cazzilli would be panelle’s brothers and sisters. Cazzilli are potato croquettes. They fall into the street-food category of Palermitano cuisine. You can eat them with your fingers or together with panelle, they are often paired inside a sesame seed bun sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil and eaten as a sandwich. When they are hot from the fryer, this, miei amici, is something special! The ingredients are pretty simple: potatoes, fresh parsley (or mint), salt, pepper, and olive oil. These were photographed (and eaten!) in Il Capo open-air market in Palermo.
Gorgeous Cazzilli – recipe please please?!
I wish I could say that I made these, because they were outstanding. Needless to say, they are from a Friggeria in Palermo with much more experience than me! I haven’t used this recipe, but it checks out pretty well with the ones I have in cookbooks I’ve purchased in Sicily: http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/recipes/display/bycategory.php/recipe_id/986/id/1/
A potato sandwich…interesting…sounds yummy with lemon and olive oil….how about with some olives and tomatoes? Must also try the chick pea dish!