Ricette di Sicilia

Name: Ciciotta – Sicily’s Forgotten Autumn Chickpea Polenta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Sicilian
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)

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.

Author: Vito Costa • Published on: April 27, 2024

Categories: Main courses

Tags: chickpeas onions chickpea flour guanciale extra-virgin olive oil pecorino black pepper rosemary salt

⏱️

Prep Time

15 minutes

🔥

Cook Time

40 minutes

👥

Serve

Serves 4

📊

Difficulty

Easy

💰 Low cost

🗓️ Autumn

⭐ 4.8/5

🛒 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

Calories

310 kcal

Protein

12 g

Fat

8 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fiber

6 g

Sodium

90 mg

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.