Socca, Garbanzo Bean Flour Pancake with Greens and Feta Cheese

Socca, a garbanzo bean flatbread recipe from the Mediterranean, pairs well with a variety of foods for a delicious light meal or snack. For even cooking and just the right amount of browning baking the Soca gives the best results.

One of the best things about socca is that it is very easy to prepare, only garbanzo bean flour, olive oil, salt, pepper and water are required however the batter must be made at least 30 minutes in advance of baking. In this recipe once the socca is baked it is served with a topping of salad greens with crumbled feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes and olives. However there are many ways you can serve soca.  It can be a base for fried or scrambled eggs and sauteed kale or tomatoes, or a roasted vegetable salad, it’s a wonderful blank canvas you can adapt to your preference.

In this recipe adapted from NY Times Cooking, the socca is baked in a cast iron frying pan that is first heated in the oven. When you remove the pan from the oven to add the batter, be sure to leave a pot holder on the handle to remind yourself that it’s hot.

INGREDIENTS

For the Socca

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

5 tbsp olive oil, 3 to add to the batter and 2 to add to the pan for baking

For the Salad

2  handfuls of mixed greens

2 tbsp chopped Mediterranean olives

1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Approx. 2 tbsp vinaigrette dressing

PREPARATION

Prepare the socca batter; combine the chickpea flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a mixing bowl and slowly whisk in 1 cup of lukewarm water. Stir in the olive oil and whisk gently to dissolve any lumps. Set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes, the batter can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance.

Arrange the oven racks so that the socca can be baked in the upper third of the oven. Select the Bake mode and heat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Place a 12” cast iron skillet in the oven to heat for 5 minutes then carefully remove it from the oven and add olive oil to the skillet. Pour the batter into the pan. Place the pan in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.

Change the oven mode to Broil Hi or 450 degrees to add some gentle browning and crisping. Remember never broil with the oven door open but stay close to the oven since the browning will only take between 3 - 5 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set it aside leaving a pot holder on the handle.

Remove the socca from the pan with a spatula and place it on a plate or a board. Lightly toss the greens with a vinaigrette, fold in the olives and sun dried tomatoes and mound over the socca, sprinkle with some crumbled Feta cheese before serving.

Serves 2