5 Ingredients or Fewer

Socca (Farinata)

by:
March  5, 2014
5
1 Ratings
Socca (Farinata)
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

A quick, easy, and savory "pancake" made from chickpea flour, socca is destined to be your new favorite canvas for toppings of all kinds. —Gena Hamshaw

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 pinch Black pepper, to taste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups water (room temperature)
Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 450° F and place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven.
  2. Whisk together the chickpea flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in one cup of the water and two tablespoons of the olive oil. Allow batter to sit for ten to fifteen minutes. If it's very thick, add the remaining half cup of water (it should be thick but pourable, not unlike pancake batter).
  3. Remove the skillet from the oven and coat the pan with the additional tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 15 minutes, or until it's firm throughout and becoming gently golden on the edges. If you'd like to skip broiling, you can cook it for another 5 or so minutes, or until it's golden on top.
  4. If you'd like a traditional, slightly crispy socca, you can broil it once the socca has been baking for 15 minutes. Brush the top of the socca with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and broil until it's browning on top. Cut into wedges and serve.
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20 Reviews

witloof
witloof September 29, 2017
This was delicious with a big handful of chopped scallions in the batter!
 
witloof
witloof April 2, 2017
We made this for lunch last Saturday and served it with a big green salad. It was delicious but way too salty. I have another batch in the oven with about a quarter of a teaspoon of salt in the batter.
I'm one of those people who had socca in Europe and fell madly in love with it. It was kind of by accident. My friend and I were traveling in Italy and she was on a very restricted diet, no wheat, no dairy, no meat, no eggs,no corn {no, it was not fun traveling with her}. We took a day trip to Pisa and stopped at a little pizzeria on the way to the tower. We saw this unpromising but safe for her diet looking beige stuff on a tray on the counter and I ordered us a couple of slices. One bite and we both swooned! I asked if it was made of eggs, and the woman who waited on us said, no, ceci. I've always wanted to try it again, and am delighted that I can make it at home.
 
LULULAND
LULULAND September 16, 2016
Thanks, I'm thinking Himalayan salt will be fine!
 
Courtney C.
Courtney C. September 16, 2016
I think that would be awesome. Hope you like the socca!
 
tia
tia April 24, 2016
This is awfully good for breakfast with a couple of fried eggs. You might have given me a reason to keep chickpea flour on hand (when I was looking for recipes so I could FINALLY get that stuff out of my pantry).
 
Courtney C.
Courtney C. August 11, 2015
This is one of my go-to recipes. It's easy and so unexpectedly delicious. When it comes out of the oven I finish it with a drizzle of olive oil, coarse ground black pepper and a pinch of Maldon. It's amazing.
 
LULULAND
LULULAND September 16, 2016
Sounds like a good idea! What is Maldon? Thanks
 
Courtney C.
Courtney C. September 16, 2016
It's a really great British sea salt. You can get it at some grocery stores and I'm sure Amazon would sell it. It is a bit pricey, but since it is a finishing salt, it should last a long time. I just use a pinch crushed between my fingers on just about everything.
 
Kate K.
Kate K. March 9, 2015
I don't have a cast iron skillet so could I do it in a glass dish or cookie sheet? Thanks!
 
Courtney C.
Courtney C. September 16, 2016
I've done it in both - it's very versatile. Your cooking time may change a bit though.
 
PaolaSucato
PaolaSucato January 28, 2015
Farinata is a ligurian (Italy) typical street food made from chickpea flour. I had it in pizzerias and bakeries in the Ligurian Sea coast. In this recipe http://worldrecipes.expo2015.org/en/recipe-ligurian_chickpea_farinata_888.html you'll find black pepper, but I think it is optional!
 
Natalie
Natalie March 8, 2014
I had this all the time in Argentina! We always got it with our pizza -- given to us in pizza shaped triangles for us to eat it on top of our pizza. Yum!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian March 7, 2014
I make farinata as an appetizer all the time. I use rosemary olive oil and sauté a little garlic to sprinkle on top. One of my favorites!!
 
lalf
lalf March 26, 2014
Sounds good! We love socca this way, with rosemary (or cumin) and thinly sliced onion in the batter, much like Mark Bittman’s recipe, http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014757/socca-farinata.html
 
pixiefran
pixiefran March 6, 2014
This just looks classic.
 
la G.
la G. March 6, 2014
Any other recommeded pans if one doesn't have a cast iron?
 
Fran L.
Fran L. March 7, 2014
I've had some pretty good success substituting my all-clad frying pan for a cast iron pan in most recipes. (I highly recommend getting a cast iron pan a some point though. They're versatile and produce such wonderful results.)
 
la G.
la G. March 10, 2014
Thanks! A cast iron is definitely in my future. Current living situation doesn't suit, but soon!
 
suepig
suepig March 6, 2014
What size cast iron skillet would you recommend?
 
Zack J.
Zack J. March 7, 2014
12" it says.