BLACK GARLIC and CHIVE PANISSE with CITRUS AIOLI

SERVES 4 TO 6

Panisse are chickpea fries popular in southern France. They’re crispy on the outside and creamy in the center. Flavorwise, they’re fairly average, so I like to spike them with black garlic, which is slowly fermented garlic with deep, earthy, caramely, almost-sweet, pungent flavors. Look for black garlic in gourmet stores or online. It keeps forever. You’ll find yourself using it on pizza, in pastas… anywhere you need some oomph. If you can’t find it, use roasted garlic paste. —CHAD

1 tablespoon everyday olive oil, plus some for coating the pan

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon black garlic, mashed into a paste

3 cups Vegetable Stock (here) or store-bought

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

½ tablespoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2¼ cups chickpea flour

Peanut oil or vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Flake salt, for garnish

Citrus Aioli (here), for dipping

Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, 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.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk in the chives, 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 becomes too stiff to stir, whisk in a little more milk or stock.

Quickly pour the mixture into the pan, spreading it 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. (This is a good time to make the aioli.)

To cut and cook the panisse, invert the pan onto a cutting board, remove the parchment, and cut the square into fingers the size of large French fries, about 3 inches long and ¾ inch wide.

Heat a thin layer of peanut oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add a single layer of panisse without crowding and cook until lightly browned, 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.

Stack the panisse on a plate like Lincoln logs. Serve with the aioli for dipping.

CITRUS AIOLI

MAKES ABOUT ¾ CUP

⅓ cup Plant-Based Mayo (here) or store-bought

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

¼ cup minced grapefruit segments

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons minced lemon segments

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Mix everything together in a small bowl. The aioli will thin out as it sits, which is fine. You want the consistency to be more like a creamy dipping sauce and less like a stiff mayonnaise. This aioli keeps refrigerated for up to 4 days.

OPTIONS

You can replace the lemon segments, zest, and salt in the aioli with 1½ teaspoons minced Preserved Meyer Lemons (here).

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.