Thanks, Carlo.
Will try those panelle tomorrow to bring to my aunt on Sunday.
Had tried another recipe from the net, but mucked up the first time. Retried a one-cup dosage today with no problems. The trick is to whip constantly while adding the flour to the cold water and while cooking the mixture, and to shape the mixture into panelle while the mixture is still hot, or they will crumble into pieces while frying. Another thing I found helpful, in order to avoid lumps while cooking, is to use a metal sheet underneath the pot; I used a cut-out bottom from a large tin can.
The addition of the baking power is novel to me, but it makes sense. May also experiment with the addition of an egg yolk to the recipe to give coherence to the panelle.
Again, thanks and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.
PS: continue keeping those family traditions alive. Have you considered writing a cooking book?
I have never tried to make panelles but have eaten them on the streets of Palermo.
Here is my recipe for pignoli cookies which I got from that great website epicurious.com. I had been looking for a good recipe for years for my Sicilian-American husband. (His Sicilian grandma made them - and so did all the Italian bakeries in the Bronx of his childhood.)
2 8-ounce CANS of Solo brand almond paste (not marzipan, not almond filling, and don't use the tube paste!)
1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large egg whites
2 tbls. honey (optional)*
1 cup of pine nuts (pignolis)
Preheat oven to 350. Machine mix almond paste until broken up (it will never break up completely). Add sugar, salt and continue to mix for about one minute. Beat together almond mixture, egg whites and honey until as smooth as it can get (it won't get that smooth!) Spoon drop mixture in about 1 1/2 inch rounds onto parchment paper-lined cookie trays. Press several nuts onto tops of each cookie. Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.
*I've never used the honey and the cookies are still celestial.