Chickpea Pancakes (Socca)

Socca is a traditional street snack from Nice, and as with many traditional dishes, there are a few different ways you can make them. I like to cook mine under a piping hot grill until the top is charred and crisp, as David Lebovitz does in his version of the recipe. You can also bake the socca and then quickly run it under the grill at the end of cooking or make it directly in a frying pan, not dissimilar to a pancake or omelette on the hob. 

The recipe base is easy: I use chickpea flour with approximately 1 ½ times the quantity of water, mixed with 2tablespoons of olive oil, 1tsp ground cumin and a pinch of salt. The cumin definitely gives the socca a more authentic taste.

As an informal starter, lunch or midweek dinner I like to serve it warm from the oven with goats chevre, roasted peppers and kalamata olives.  Or sometimes, I add 1TSP Za’atar to the base and when cooked pile it with salad greens, crumbled feta and fresh chilli drizzled with olive oil. It makes a great alternative gluten free pizza base AND is a great recipe to cook with children so a win-win all round. 

Ingredients

130g/1 cup chickpea flour

350ml water

2Tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp ground cumin

Optional seasonings: 1TBSP chopped herbs such as: rosemary, thyme or fresh oregano

1x clove pasted garlic, 1tsp teaspoon of dried spice: crushed cumin, smoked Spanish paprika or Za'atar all work well. 

Equipment

1x26cm/10inch cast-iron pan/oven proof frying pan

1x palette knife, kitchen knife or pizza cutter.

Prepare the Chickpea Batter:

Makes 2 thicker 10"or 4x thin and crisp 10" socca pancakes 

Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, cumin and salt in a small bowl. Let rest for 1/2 hour to 2 hours to give the flour time to absorb the water.

Heat the grill and your pan: 

Set an oven rack six inches below your oven's grill and turn on it on. 

Heat your grill for at least fifteen minutes on high.

Set a cast iron or other oven proof frying pan on the oven rack to heat for at least ten minutes. Remove the pan from the grill using oven mitts. Add a teaspoon or so of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. 

Pour ½ cup for a thin socca or just under 1 full cup for a thicker pancake into the hot pan 

Tilt the pan so the batter coats its entire surface.

Grill the Socca for 3 to 5 minutes or until you see the top of it beginning to blister and turn brown. If you find the top browning before the batter is fully set, move the frying pan to a lower position in the oven until cooked. 

What to look for - The socca should be fairly flexible in the middle but crispy on the edges.

Use a spatula to work your way under the socca and ease it from the pan. 

Slice it into triangles, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a good olive oil. 

Repeat with any remaining batter.

Socca is best eaten immediately after baking while still warm but can be refrigerated and re-toasted for up to a week.

To Bake in the Oven: 

Heat the oven to 220c/450F and pre-heat the baking dish for 5 minutes. Bake the socca for 8-10 minutes, until it's cooked through.