Author Notes
We first had slices of farinata, a thin chickpea crepe, in the Cinque Terre. Farinata is sometimes used in Italy as a base for pizza for those of us with celiac. Farinata is street food at its finest: hot, crisp, and full of flavor. This is one of the few foods where garbanzo bean flour truly works.
As much as I love thin chickpea crepes, I also like playing with the idea of a savory chickpea cake. Think of it as a savory appetizer, with a dollop of cold ricotta and a warm tangle of caramelized onions on top. —glutenfreegirl
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Ingredients
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4 cups
warm water
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2 cups
chickpea (or garbanzo) flour
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2 teaspoons
kosher salt
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1/2 cup
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the onions
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Ricotta
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2
large yellow onions
Directions
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Making the batter. Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Slowly, shake the chickpea flour into the warm water, whisking as you do. Whisk the water and flour together thoroughly, then add the salt and stir again. The finished batter should be slightly thickened. Let the batter sit for at least 2 hours.
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Heat the oven to 450°. Grease an 8 x 8 metal pan. As the oven is heating, stir the olive oil into the batter.
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Pour the batter into the pan. Bake the cake until the edges are starting to brown and the top is firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
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Top with ricotta and caramelized onions (see below).
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To make caramelized onions: Slice 2 large yellow onions into thin slices. Set a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter into the pot. When the oil and butter are hot, add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, then browned, and turned a deep umber brown, about 30 minutes.
Shauna writes about food. Danny cooks it.
We grow excited every Saturday morning to go to the farmers' market. This time of year, a Billy Allstot tomato is enough to make us look like goons at the stand, jumping up and down with excitement. We will eat one slice with sea salt, standing over the sink. Another goes to our baby daughter. The rest might go into the smoker to make smoked tomato salsa, or thrown together with watermelon and good olive oil for a watermelon gazpacho, or stacked with smoked salmon and drizzled with horseradish sour cream.
Every day is new. I have no idea what we're having for dinner tonight. But I'm sure interested to find out.
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