Friday, June 28, 2013

FFwD: Socca from Vieux Nice / Kichererbsenmehl Pfannkuchen


Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Socca, a chickpea flour pancake that is a specialty of Nice. It is also known as Farinata in Liguria, Italy. It is essentially a large pancake made from but a few ingredients such as chickpea flour, water, olive oil, a bit of salt and a healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper and sometimes, as is the case with a lot of Italian recipes and Dorie´s recipe, chopped rosemary.
Die French Fridays with Dorie-Gruppe bereitet heute Socca zu, eine Pfannkuchen Spezialität mit Kichererbsenmehl aus Nizza. In Ligurien kennt man Socca auch als Farinata. Socca ist ein Pfannkuchen mit nur einigen wenigen Zutaten wie Kichererbsenmehl, Wasser, Olivenöl, ein wenig Salz und etwas frisch gemahlenen Pfeffer und etwas frischem Rosmarin  - eine Zutat sowohl in Dorie´s als auch in vielen italienischen Rezepten..




The batter for the Socca is as quick and easy to put together as a pancake. The batter for the Socca should rest for about two hours or even overnight and it is baked in the oven, finished in a broiler and done in about 20 minutes. It can be served hot or warm, with toppings such as caramelized onions and oven roasted tomatoes or just a light drizzle of olive oil and some more freshly ground black pepper.

Around here chickpea flour is sold in Middle Eastern and natural foods markets. So I bought two bags of chickpea flour and made two different large Soccas. The first one I made with the roasted chickpea flour from my favorite natural food store. When I prepared the batter, it thickened so quickly that I had to add more water to get the consistency right. The baked Socca had a real rustic appeal and a nice nutty taste.

Der Teig für den Socca ist einfach und genauso schnell gemacht wie jeder Pfannekuchenteig. Der Teig für den Socca sollte wenigstens zwei Stunden bei Zimmertemperatur stehen – er kann allerdings auch über Nacht ruhen. Der Socca wird erst im Ofen gebacken und dann für einige Minuten mit Oberhitze gebräunt und anschließend heiß oder warm serviert. Vor dem Servieren kann man den Socca mit ein wenig gutem Olivenöl beträufeln und mit frisch gemahlenem schwarzen Pfeffer verfeinern. Man kann ihn mit karamelisierten Zwiebeln oder im Ofen gerösteten Tomaten servieren.

Kichererbsenmehl findet man in asiatischen Läden oder in Bio-Geschäften. Ich habe geröstetes Kichererbsenmehl im Bio Laden besorgt. Mit diesem Mehl brauchte ich mehr als eine Tasse Wasser, um die richtige Konsistenz für den Socca zu bekommen. Der gebackenen Socca sieht sehr schön rustikal aus und schmeckt wunderbar nussig.




The second Socca contained the regular chickpea flour from a Middle Eastern market, the batter was considerably less thick than the first, the color was lighter, it baked more like a pancake and tasted less nutty than the first.
Einen zweiten Socca habe ich mit dem Kichererbsenmehl aus dem Asiatischen Laden zubereitet. Der Teig war wesentlich heller und deutlich flüssiger und der fertige Socca hatte eher die Konsistenz eines Pfannekuchens und war weniger nussig als der erste Socca.




Preparing the Soccas was new to me and it was fun to learn a few things about chickpea flour and what it is used for, particularly since I had never used this type of flour before.

Recipe for the Socca (Farinata) 

Ingredients
  • 1 cup chickpea flour 
  • 1 cup cool water
  • 3 ½ tsp olive oil
  • some salt 
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • some freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
  1. Sift chickpea flour into a bowl, then add 1 cup water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, salt and chopped rosemary.
  2. Cover, and let rest for about two hours, or as long as overnight . Batter should be about the consistency of heavy cream.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a well-seasoned or nonstick 12-inch pizza pan or cast-iron skillet in oven. 
  4. Pour 2 tablespoons oil into heated pan, and swirl to cover pan evenly. 
  5. Pour in batter, and bake for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until pancake is firm and edges set. 
  6. Heat broiler and place Socca a few inches away from broiler for a few minutes, just long enough to brown it spottily. 
  7. Cut it into wedges, and serve hot, or at room temperature.

To see more Soccas from the French Fridays with Dorie group, please click here.

Socca zuzubereiten war interessant – ich habe das erste Mal Kichererbsenmehl verwendet und war angenehm überrascht.

Rezept für Kichererbsenmehl Pfannkuchen (Farinata)

Zutaten
  • 1 Tasse Kichererbsenmehl
  • 1 Tasse kaltes Wasser
  • 3 ½ EL Olivenöl
  • etwas Salz
  • 2 TL fein gehacktes Rosmarin
  • etwas frisch gemahlenen schwarzen Pfeffer

Zubereitung
  1. Das Kichererbsenmehl mit dem Wasser verrühren. Dann 1 ½ El. Olivenöl, Salz und gehackten Rosmarin zugeben. 
  2. Abdecken, zirka zwei Stunden oder über Nacht ruhen lassen. Der Teig sollte ungefähr die Konsistenz von Sahne haben.
  3. Den Ofen auf 260 Grad Celsius vorheizen. Ein rundes Pizzablech oder eine Eisenpfanne in den Ofen stellen und ebenfalls vorheizen.
  4. Dann 2 El. Olivenöl in die heiße Form geben – das Öl sollte den gesamten Boden bedecken.
  5. Den Teig so einfüllen, dass der Boden bedeckt ist – dabei die Form so wenden, dass der Teig den gesamten Formboden bedeckt. Den Socca 5 bis 10 Minuten backen, der Teig sollte dabei fest werden.
  6. Oberhitze einschalten und den Socca einige Minuten unter die Heizschlange in den Ofen stellen – bis der Socca eine schöne Farbe hat, einige Stellen dürfen dabei ruhig dunkler werden.
  7. Den fertigen Socca in Stücke schneiden oder reißen und noch heiß oder lauwarm servieren – dabei mit ordentlich frisch gemahlenem Pfeffer genießen.

Um die anderen Soccas der French Fridays with Dorie Gruppe anzuschauen, bitte hier klicken.


38 comments:

  1. Love the styling of these dishes.. The photos came out awesome

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    1. Thank you for the very lovely comment - finally I got a chance to take some pictures of my fabulous iron pan.

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  2. Yours has such a wonderful crackle to it. Beaufifully done.

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    1. Diane, only the one with the organic roasted chickpea flour had a somewhat crackly top, the other Socca with the regular chickpea flour had a much smoother surface and looked more pancake like.

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  3. I've seen several versions of this, it looks so interesting and unique. Looks like a wonderful snack.

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    1. Thank you, Chris - "several versions" seems to be the word of the day when it comes to Socca.

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  4. Can you make me some of these and send them over, please!?

    Mmmmm. x

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    1. Thanks for nice comment! I have a ton of two kinds of chickpea flour left, so I would be happy to make some more.

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  5. I like your side by side experiment.

    You came up in conversation at our house the other day. My other half learned that he had to go to Berlin this fall for work and then we started talking about how jealous I was that he would be going to Germany and I would be back home because there was this sweet blogger in Bonn who makes beautiful food and takes amazing pictures that I would love to go meet :-)

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    1. Cher, thanks so much for that lovely comment - when your other half is going to visit Berlin, let me know when he will be there, one of my best friends lives in Berlin and I will make sure to ask her advice and put a list of "must see and/or eat and visit" places together that I will mail to you.

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  6. I`m in awe of those of you who managed to make this look gorgeous! Lovely pics Andrea! Roasted chickpea flour, I love it. I definitely used the regular one, and I think it`s the only one I`ll be able to get here. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Paula, so very kind of you - the roasted chichpea flour is the only one that they carry at my favorite Health Food Store and I had done my homework before I went shopping, thank goodness, so my next trip was to a Middle Eastern Market because I know that they carry the regular chichpea flour there - all in all, making Socca was a wonderful Friday morning diversion.

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  7. Your socca looks delicious, Andrea. This was such a tasty snack. The texture of that pan is so interesting! Do the grooves make things stick less? When I bought the chickpea flour, there was a bag of spelt flour on the same shelf, so I bought that too. I haven't tried it yet, but will let you know how I like it. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Betsy, indeed this was a tasty little snack and a new kind of recipe for me. That iron pan leaves a bit of a mrk on the pancakes or soccas and it gets so incredibly hot that it seemed like an ideal "vessel" to bake the socca in. As far as the spelt flour is concerned, you might want to try it with a nice buttery cake or cookies - lovely taste, I am sure you will be quite happy with the way it tastes like!

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  8. Unglaubliche Fotografien, Andrea! I love socca, but knew it first NOT from Liguria, but form the far western reaches of Tuscany (almost in Liguria) where it is called Cecina. Very interesting how the two flours reacted differently - a good lesson to all of us that we need to pay attention to consistency. I am also glad your beautiful photos showed it with Lavendelblumen - lavender! What a perfect thought... I think I will try making it with lavender. Perfect for my blog, nicht wahr? ~ David

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    1. David, thanks so much for the wonderful comment - glad that you enjoy the photography, for some reason I felt that this was such a challenge - soccas and pancakes are not the most photogenic foods to take pictures of. And, yes, of course, the socca with lavender would be perfect for your blog - ich fände es schön das Rezept mit Lavendel auf deinem Blog zu sehen!
      Liebe Grüße, Andrea

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  9. I couldn't even find regular chickpea flour...lucky you got to try two! This was a fun recipe...new flour, new dish, successful results! Can't beat that! Hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start!

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    1. Liz, thanks for the nice comment - glad that you enjoyed this recipe so much!

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  10. Looks fantastic, Andrea. I ve been planning to add chickpea flour to my breads in order to add vegetable proteins.
    I d love to try your beautiful "Pfannkuchen".
    Liebe Grüsse

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    1. Carola, thank you for your nice comment - adding chickpea flour to anything was totally new to me but I am learning! I am not sure at all about adding this flour to breads but you are the expert in that field and I am intrigued to learn how that will turn out. Let me know if you get a chance!

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  11. Lovely photos, Andrea. Such a pretty presentation! Interesting that the two different chickpea flours produced a different product. Glad you enjoyed this one, it was a hit in our house, too! Hope your enjoying your weekend!

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    1. Kathy, different stores, different brands, different results - it was a fun experiment and since I have a new found obsession about different flours, especially artisinal ones, I appeciated that I got to use chickpea flours for the first time in my life for this recipe.

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  12. What beautiful work. I have so enjoyed each visit to your site, and again you have wowed me. Your socca looks fab! Brava!

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    1. Grazie mille, Adri! You are such a kind person and I always enjoy all your wonderful and thoughtful comments!

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  13. I am intrigued by socca, I had never heard of it before but it sounds really tasty. Your photo's look great!

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    1. Thanks so much, glad you enjoy the pictures - must admit that I had never heard of Socca before either but I had heard of Farinata, which kind of turned out to be the same thing - be that as it may, I had never used chickpea flour in my life and certainly had never prepared pancakes with it. It is always good to learn s.th. new.

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  14. Glad you enjoyed it! Your photos are lovely. Mine is rather mangled but tasted good.

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    1. Thank you for the comment - it was fun using chickpea flour for the first time and I enjoyed the experience.

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  15. Curses! My batter was also quite thick and I just assumed that was how it was supposed to be a didn't add more water. After reading your post I went back to check the small print on my bag of chickpea flour and, sure enough, geröstet! Maybe I need to give this one another try after all.

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    1. Rose, I am sure that you will be able to make the Socca again with a bit more water added to the flour, the batter should have the consistency of thick cream - so you just got to see how much water roasted chipea flour needs as you make the batter.

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  16. I've never heard of these before. Great idea to test them twice, with two different flours!

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    1. Thanks, Beth, I think many of had never encountered Socca before.

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  17. Beautiful styling. Love the pics. Liked the socca.

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    1. Thank you very much - glad that you enjoyed this recipe for chickpea pancakes as well.

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  18. Thanks for introducing me to another new dish, Andrea. I think I am leaning towards the nutty toasted chickpea flour. Can't wait to try these. Beautiful pics as always.

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    1. Hester, oftentimes the products from the natural food stores do taste the best and the organic roasted chickpea flour was no exceptionn, it certainly tasted nuttier and much nicer than the regular chickpea flour.

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  19. I'd probably eat the whole skillet.
    But, I wouldn't feel guilty - the chick pea flour makes it healthy! ;)

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    1. Colette, the chickpea flour was new to me and it was indeed widely available here - I really enjoyed this recipe and the way the Socca tasted, and so did my other tatse testers.

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