Socca / Farinata

Thin, savory chickpea pancakes fried in olive oil—crisp on the outside and soft within. Top with a gremolata of minced garlic, parsley, and lemon zest.

From left: Socca with garlic, parsley, and lemon zest; close-up; vintage postcard, "Nice - Une Marchand de Socca"

In 1995, I lived in a tiny town in the Var region of southern France for four months. My ex-husband Chad and I were doing research to eventually open our own bakery in the States as part of a year-long trip. We worked at an organic, wood-fired, natural-leaven bakery called Boulangerie Artisinale des Maures in Le Luc—a town so small that when we went to the farmer’s market to shop, the olive seller thanked us for helping them win WWll and refused our money. The people whose house we were renting were with us, and said “See! I told you we never see Americans here!”

You can find socca—or cade as they are known in the Var—all along the coast, sold at open air markets from vendors who cook them over a fire in local olive oil. They are known as farinata in Italy, as well as torta di ceci. I’ve borrowed an idea from David Lebovitz, who brilliantly adds a pinch of cumin to the batter to get a whiff of the flavor from cooking over a wood fire.

RECIPE
For a 10-inch fry pan:

• 100g / 1/2 C + 6 Tbs chickpea flour

• 160 ml / 2/3 C water

• 2 Tbs olive oil

• Pinch cumin (optional)

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 Tbs olive oil

• Half of a medium sized onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Whisk all of the ingredients together except for the onion (if using). Let it sit at room temperature while preparing the rest of the recipe, or refrigerate overnight. It should be the consistency of heavy cream when ready to cook; thin with a little water if it’s too thick when you are ready to use it.

Preheat oven to 450f. Add the olive oil to the skillet. If using the onions, cook on the stovetop in the same skillet you’ll use for the socca. Cook for 5 minutes in the oil, lightly caramelizing them. Don’t let them get too dark; they will continue to cook in the oven. If not using onions, go to the next step.

Place the skillet in the oven for a minute (or longer if you didn’t use onions) to get very hot. Pour in socca mixture, cooking until nice and brown and then flip, cooking a few minutes more. If you don’t want to flip it, put the socca under the broiler for a minute. Serve with gremolata, or eat plain.

GREMOLATA (put it on everything)
• 1 lemon, finely zested
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
Toss all together. Scatter over the socca as soon as it comes from the oven. Serve immediately.