Socca

I'd seen a recipe that I wanted to try. What drew me to it? It's gluten and dairy free, super easy and with a really nice nutty flavor.  No, I don't need to eat gluten and dairy free but I appreciate the option to eat a wide variety of foods and eating a wide variety of foods seems to be a healthier way of eating in general.  I had this as a light lunch but I could see it as an accompaniment to a soup or chile or even a pizza type thing with added toppings.  The flour has more protein than a typical wheat or whole wheat flour so that is something too (6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup versus 3-4 grams of protein for all-purpose or whole wheat flour).

Try it!

Super easy.

Preheat oven to 450F degrees. For a single serving mix 1/2 cup garbanzo bean or chickpea flour with 1/2 cup lukewarm water and about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Let this sit up to 12 hours. No really.  Or you can use it after 15 minutes once the oven has finished heating. Put a 6" cast iron pan into the oven a couple minutes before you are ready to bake.  I happen to have a 6" cast iron skillet and use it practically daily plus i just wanted one serving of the socca. If you are cooking for more, double the recipe and use a larger pan. I'd think a cast iron pan would work the best.  I've seen some recipes refer to using a non-stick tart pan. I wonder if a le crueset pan which can go from stove to oven with a lot of oil would work too. The bigger the pan, the more pancake/crepe like this will be.

Take pan out carefully, and add another tablespoon or two of olive oil. Swirl around pan. Oil should be ripply hot.  Pour batter into pan and put back into oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes. The edges should be pulled away and look crisp. The center should look dry and set.  If you want to brown it a bit, stick under a broiler for a minute or two but it's not really necessary. I sauteed some garden kale with garlic and balsamic vinegar and had this on top of the finished socca.  Delicious!

Other options and references:

The thought of fresh arugula and some fresh Parmesan cheese sounds tasty on this. Any roasted veggies would be good.  Hmm. So many possibilities!

with cumin and more of a pancake: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/06/socca-enfin/

rosemary and onions: http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014757/socca-farinata.html

where i first saw the recipe: http://food52.com/blog/9931-how-to-make-socca-3-ways-to-eat-it

Day 205