Socca

Not only did I recently make succotash, I also made socca!  A kind of chickpea-flour-pancake-thing, this was way better than I anticipated.

I made about a 1/3-1/4 recipe; the limiting factor was the small amount of chickpea flour I had, but this ended up being the perfect amount for one or two.  However, the baking time was way less--I used a loaf pan, and the socca was only 2/3 inches thick; it was finished cooking in 30 minutes.

The texture was creamy and crispy, depending on what part you were eating.  The flavors were understandably simple, but the onion and fennel really made the dish worth eating.  It paired surprisingly well with pozole or some other kind of chili-like stew, filling in for cornbread with a way higher protein content.

Fennel Farinata, Socca or Chickpea Pizza

(from jeanettes healthy living)

Ingredients

1-1.25 c chick pea flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c water

1 TB olive oil

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

fresh ground pepper

Instructions

1.  Put the chick pea flour in a bowl, add the water a little at a time, stirring well.
2.  When smooth and about the consistency of pancake batter, add the salt.
3.  Cover and leave for a minimum of 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight if more convenient.
4.  When ready to bake farinata/socca, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5.  In a small loaf pan, pour enough olive oil to cover the surface. Stir the batter and pour it into the pan. Again stir it well, so that the oil and batter are well incorporated.
6. Scatter sliced onions and sprinkle fennel seeds on top.
7. Bake the farinata for 30 minutes until the top is golden and crusty.
8. Serve it hot, sprinkled with freshy milled pepper, and cut into slices.  Serves about 6.