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Golden, sugar-dusted chickpea pastries from Partinico on a rustic tray with honey and chickpeas

Partinico Chickpea Pastries — A Sicilian Treat for St Joseph’s Day

A fragrant Sicilian pastry from Partinico, filled with sweet chickpeas, honey, zuccata and dark chocolate, wrapped in a crisp golden shell.

Author: Pina Romano • Published on: January 29, 2022
Categories: Desserts
Tags: water cinnamon chickpeas chocolate dark chocolate flour semolina flour honey Palermo lard vanilla white wine zuccata sugar
⏱️
Prep Time
40 minutes
🔥
Cook Time
20 minutes
👥
Serve
Serves 10
📊
Difficulty
Medium
💰 Moderate
🗓️ Spring
⭐ 4.8/5

🛒 Ingredients

▸ For the pastry

  • ✓ 1 kg semolina flour
  • ✓ 300 g lard
  • ✓ 150 ml white wine
  • ✓ 100 g caster sugar
  • ✓ water, as needed
  • ✓ ground cinnamon
  • ✓ ½ sachet vanilla powder

▸ For the filling

  • ✓ 1 kg cooked chickpeas
  • ✓ 150 g dark chocolate chips
  • ✓ 150 g honey
  • ✓ 200 g zuccata (candied pumpkin)
  • ✓ ground cinnamon

▸ For coating

  • ✓ caster sugar

▸ For frying

  • ✓ extra-virgin olive oil

There are certain Sicilian sweets that feel as though they’ve been whispered down through generations, cherished more like heirlooms than recipes — and the cassatelle di ceci of Partinico are absolutely one of them. Prepared each year for St Joseph’s Day on 19 March, these pastries capture the warmth of early spring celebrations, when kitchens fill with the scent of honey, cinnamon and frying dough.
What makes them stand out is their unexpected but utterly charming filling: sweetened chickpeas, folded together with zuccata (a jewel-bright Sicilian candied pumpkin) and flecks of dark chocolate. Wrapped in a thin semolina pastry and fried until golden, each one delivers a beautiful contrast of crisp shell and soft, aromatic centre.
They’re the sort of treat you make when you want to savour a little ritual, to bring a piece of Sicilian devotion into your own home — wherever you are.

👨‍🍳 Preparation

  1. 1

    Tip the flour onto a work surface, add the lard in small pieces and begin working it in while gradually adding the white wine.

  2. 2

    Mix in the sugar, vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon, kneading until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Add a splash of water if needed.

  3. 3

    Wrap the dough and let it rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.

  4. 4

    For the filling, mash or blend the drained chickpeas into a fine purée.

  5. 5

    Stir in the finely chopped zuccata, honey, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Mix well and set aside.

  6. 6

    Roll out the dough to a thin sheet (2–3 mm) and cut out circles 10–12 cm in diameter.

  7. 7

    Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of each circle, fold into a half-moon and seal firmly with a fork. Trim the edges with a fluted cutter.

  8. 8

    Fry the pastries in hot olive oil until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper.

  9. 9

    Roll in cinnamon-scented sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

💡 Tips and Variations

If you’d prefer a baked version, brush the pastries with beaten egg and bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes. For a lovely citrus lift, add a little finely chopped candied orange peel to the filling.

📦 Storage

  • • Keep the pastries in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
  • • You can freeze them un-fried and cook straight from frozen.
  • • If they soften, reheat gently in a warm oven to crisp the pastry again.

🍷 Pairing

These pastries pair beautifully with a sweet Sicilian white wine such as Contea di Sclafani Bianco Dolce, whose gentle aroma and honeyed notes complement the chocolate and spice.

Partinico’s chickpea pastries are a celebration of Sicilian devotion, tradition and generosity. Each bite offers a comforting mix of honey, citrus and chocolate wrapped in a crisp shell. If you’re looking to bring a taste of Sicily into your kitchen, these little beauties are the perfect place to start.

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