Ricette di Sicilia
Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane
Ciciotta – Sicily’s Forgotten Autumn Chickpea Polenta
Discover ciciotta, the rustic Sicilian chickpea polenta once cherished in the countryside — a comforting autumn dish with simple, genuine flavour.
🛒 Ingredients
- ✓ 300 g Sicilian chickpea flour
- ✓ 1.2 litres water
- ✓ 1 onion
- ✓ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ✓ Trapani sea salt, to taste
- ✓ Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ✓ Fresh rosemary, to taste
- ✓ 100 g grated Sicilian pecorino
- ✓ 50 g guanciale or pancetta cubes (optional)
📊 Nutritional Information
If you’re longing to rediscover a comforting, old-style country dish, ciciotta is the perfect place to start. This humble Sicilian polenta — made not with maize but with chickpea flour — was once prepared in rural kitchens to warm chilly autumn days.
With only a handful of simple ingredients, it captures the rustic charm of traditional Sicilian cooking: earthy chickpea flour, sweet onions, fragrant rosemary and the deep savouriness of pecorino. Whether enriched with guanciale or kept vegetarian, it brings a wholesome, warming flavour to the table.
It’s a reminder that the most unassuming dishes are often the ones that linger in memory — honest food that speaks of home, land and season.
👨🍳 Preparation
- 1
Heat the water in a large pot and add salt.
- 2
Pour in the chickpea flour gradually, whisking vigorously with a wooden ladle to avoid lumps.
- 3
Cook over a low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring often until the chickpea polenta becomes thick and creamy.
- 4
Meanwhile, sauté the chopped onion with olive oil and rosemary in a separate pan.
- 5
For extra richness, add the guanciale and cook until crisp.
- 6
Stir the onion mixture into the polenta, mixing well to combine the flavours.
- 7
Spoon the ciciotta into bowls or onto a wooden board, then top with pecorino and black pepper.
- 8
Serve hot, ideally with a glass of local red wine.
💡 Tips and Variations
Add diced seasonal vegetables such as pumpkin or wild fennel to enrich the dish. For a vegetarian version, omit the guanciale and finish with a drizzle of raw olive oil to intensify the aroma.
📦 Storage
- • Store in the fridge for up to 2 days, covered with cling film.
- • Reheat in a pan with a little oil or in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
- • Once cool, you can slice and grill it like traditional polenta.
- • Freeze in individual portions for up to 1 month.
🍷 Pairing
Enjoy ciciotta with a glass of Nero d’Avola — full-bodied, gently spiced and perfectly in tune with the rustic depth of chickpea flour.
You’ve just revived a forgotten treasure of Sicilian peasant cooking. Simple yet full of character, ciciotta shows how humble ingredients can deliver genuine comfort. Serve a generous portion and savour it slowly — it’s autumn in a bowl.
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