Chickpea Panisse with Olive Caramel, Shaved Pecorino & Herb Salad

Lightly grease a 13” x 9.5” pan with olive oil or pan spray. In a medium sauce pot, add the chickpea flour, cornmeal, salt, garlic, olive oil and water. Place on medium heat, whisking as it cooks. Once the mixture starts to thicken, it will stick to the sides and bottom of the pot. Switch to a rubber spatula to continue stirring and cook until the mixture is thick and pulling away from the edges of the pot. Add the parsley, spreading it out evenly. Cover with parchment paper and place another pan on top of the mixture, pressing with 2 lbs of weight. Cool overnight before removing the panisse from the pot and cutting it into portions.

For the Kalamata olive caramel, purée the olives in a blender, starting slowly, and blend until smooth and as thick as possible. Ideally, you will not add water to the blender. If needed to assist in the blending, add as little water as possible. Weigh the olive puree and match the weight with the granulated sugar. Add the sugar to a pan over medium heat. Melt sugar until it’s liquid and a caramel color. Carefully add in the olive puree to the hot sugar and stir with a high-temp spatula. Mix carefully until the olive mixture is incorporated, but still hot. In batches, return this to the blender and spin on high to ensure you have not crystalized sugar. Once the caramel has a nice shine, let it cool.

Add the oil to a sauté pan on medium heat and allow space for the oil to rise as you add in the panisse. Sear on all sides until it is lightly golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool on a rack or paper towel and lightly season with salt. Arrange the panisse on a plate with a generous drizzle of the olive caramel mixture on top, topping with an herb salad and shaved pecorino.

Serves 6.