Socca + Zesty and Zippy Tangled Collards

We're celebrating Meatless Mondays with balanced, delicious meal plans. We hope you'll join us -- whether you're vegetarian all the time or just here and there. 

Today: The perfect pizza-pancake hybrid that can be topped however you like.

  

Leave the yeast and the pizza stone and the spatula for another night -- the perfect pancake-pizza hybrid is called socca and you don't need any fancy equipment or flipping abilities to make it. Socca is crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, big enough to slice into wedges, and about a hundred times more flavorful than you'd expect. Top it however you want; we recommend adding spicy greens and a fried egg, but if you have leftover vegetables in the refrigerator, those will be just fine, too.

It won't be that hard to make dinner:

First, preheat the oven to 450° F and place a cast iron skillet inside. Whisk together the socca batter. As it sits and thickens, prepare the ingredients for the greens: Mix together chopped pickled peppers, the zest of a lemon, and some finely grated Parmesan. Wash and dry the collard leaves, then slice them into thin ribbons. 

Remove the skillet from the oven, coat it with a tablespoon of olive oil, pour in the socca batter (it should be thick by now), and bake for 15 minutes, until firm and gently golden on the edges.

Meanwhile, toast some bread crumbs in olive oil in a large skillet on the stove. Set the crumbs aside, then cook garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, add the collard greens, and sauté until tender. Stir in the pepper, lemon zest, and Parmesan mixture. Spritz with lemon juice, sprinkle with Parmesan, and top with half of the bread crumbs.

Once the socca's been baking for 15 minutes, brush the top with another tablespoon of olive oil and broil until it’s browning on the top. While you wait, fry aan egg for each person. Then cut the socca into wedges, pile each serving with greens, and drape an egg over top.

The Menu

Take advantage of our handy grocery list and click the recipe photos or titles to see (and save and print) the full recipes.

Socca (Farinata) by Gena Hamshaw

 

 

Zesty and Zippy Tangled Collards by hardlikearmour

 

The List

Serves 4

1 cup chickpea flour
3 tablespoons chopped mildly spicy pickled peppers (Mama Lil's preferred)
1 large lemon
2 ounces microplaned Parmesan (about 3/4 cup, lightly packed), plus additional to garnish

12 large collard leaves (more if the leaves are smaller)


1/2 cup dry bread crumbs


You probably have salt, black pepper, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and eggs (for frying) in your kitchen. If not, add those to the list.

Socca photo by James Ransom; greens photo by Mark Weinberg