Socca is a very universal recipe using gram/chickpea flour with seasonings, a little oil and water to make a batter.   The addition of herbs and/or spices make a pleasant change.  Cumin seeds can be added, but I like using sesame seeds.

It is basically a chickpea crêpe, but baked more like a flatbread. Native to the Mediterranean, socca is street food perhaps best eaten in Nice, France, cooked in a wood-fired oven to blister the crust and served hot on a napkin. Because it’s made with chickpea flour, socca is naturally vegan and gluten-free, and has a higher protein content than wheat flours.  It is also known as  farinata (“made of flour”)  fainâ , cecina (“made of chickpeas”), torta di ceci (“chickpea pie”)  fainè –  (Wikipedia)

Socca is the perfect accompaniment to many meals.  I love serving it with a dip made of probiotic yoghurt mixed with a little chilli powder.   It is flexible enough to wrap around meat or vegetables;  can be made thicker to use as a flatbread, pizza base or used like a naan bread to go with your curries.  I tend to make my Socca about 5″ to 6″ across but they can be made smaller, or bigger and cut into pieces.

INGREDIENTS: to make about 8 x 5” pancakes

½ cup gram/chickpea flour
¼ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and add enough cold water to make a paste.

Slowly add more water to make a batter similar to pancake batter but a little thicker.   Add a little more flour if the mix goes too runny.

Leave to stand for an hour or so and whisk again.

Heat a drop of olive oil in a fry pan and pour in a scoop of batter, tilting the pan to spread the batter out.

Cook for a couple of minutes before flipping over to continue cooking on the other side.

When nicely browned, keep warm in a folded tea-towel.

Socca pancakes served with a chilli yoghurt dip

These pancakes/crepes reheat beautifully in the oven wrapped in a clean tea-towel.

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.