I DELIBERATELY WAITED TO POST THIS SO THAT I DIDN’T LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE ANNOYING PEOPLE promoting ‘healthy’ pancakes for Pancake Tuesday. They mean well but make me want to shout ‘Get a life you joyless wonder!’ at my phone. But then I take a deep breath, calm down and enjoy another pancake in peace. With butter, sugar and possibly golden syrup.
I love pancakes, of all shapes, sizes, sweet, savoury, you name it. So when I came across this traditional French pancake recipe made of chickpea flour and olive oil, I had to give it a try. I couldn’t find chickpea flour (PS: just go to any Asian store and look for ‘gram’ flour), so I had a go at making it myself. I wasn’t very successful, but I haven’t given up yet! Even with shop bought chickpea flour, the pancake was difficult to flip, broke in half and looked wonky. But it was delicious, and the possibilities for toppings were exciting. So I persevered.
The proper name for this chickpea pancake is a socca and it hails from Nice. It has a very close Italian cousin called a farinata. I won’t debate which came first or which is better - they are both delicious, tricky but fun to make, really satisfying and an excellent vehicle for a myriad of toppings. The typical cooking method is to pour the batter into a hot cast iron pan and then finish it off in the oven till cooked through. Which yields great results, but not everyone owns a perfectly seasoned cast iron pan. So I persevered with a regular pan on the hob. Unladylike sentences such as ‘Flip you bastard, flip!” may have been heard from my kitchen during recipe testing. So I hope you enjoy this recipe to make the frustration worth it.
From a health point of view, the chickpea flour is a nutrition and satiety wonder food. Whether you have a socca for breakfast or lunch, it will keep you full for hours and give you a nice steady stream of energy. It works terrifically well as a vegan recipe: you really don’t need cheese or eggs. I’ve lost 10kg (the Covid padding) over the last few months, and I attribute most of that to protein-rich breakfasts: specifically featuring chickpeas and beans. There is lots of good science to explain my success, I’m not special, it’s the chickpeas (amongst other things). I think the topic deserves a dedicated article in the future, but in the meantime, cosy up to chickpeas.
If you want to laugh at me struggling to flip these pancakes, join me for an online Lunch ‘n Learn this Friday at noon and I’ll give you all the tips and tricks, and some extra topping ideas. 'Tidy Friday' Lunch 'n Learn Cookery Demo If you register, I’ll send you the replay, so don’t worry if you can’t attend live.
‘Tidy Friday’ French Socca Chickpea Pancake
Makes 2 pancakes
Use this recipe as a versatile vehicle for all sorts of delicious toppings. If you get it nice and golden, it tastes a lot like freshly popped popcorn. Use excellent quality olive oil in the batter and to fry the pancake and you’ll add another layer pf Mediterranean flavour and health benefits. Perfect for any time of the day, a socca pancake is filling but won’t make you feel stuffed. And it looks fab - a feast for the eyes too.
Ingredients:
75g chickpea flour
pinch of salt
180ml water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
extra olive oil, to fry
Suggested toppings:
roasted red peppers
wilted spinach
sautéed mushrooms
diced red onion
Method:
Mix the chickpea flour and salt in a small bowl.
Pour in the olive oil and ‘mash’ it into the chickpea flour with a fork. It won’t combine completely, but will look like small droplets.
Whisk in the water, cover and refrigerate the batter for at least an hour.
Take the batter out of the fridge and whisk again.
Heat a small non-stick pan on the hob over a medium heat.
Pour in a little olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Ladle in half the batter and tilt the pan to spread the batter to the edge of the pan.
Cook until you see bubbles forming in the pancake and the edges pulling away from the pan.
Flip and cook for two to three minutes on the other side. The pancake should have golden flecks on both sides and smell like just popped popcorn. Don’t worry if the pancake breaks up as you flip it, it does that.
Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Serve immediately with toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
If you make this, please let me know what you think. You can simply reply to this email or message me or tag me on social media. And don’t forget the Lunch ‘n Learn!
Happy Cooking!
xoxoxo
Rozanne