50 Women Game Changers In Food - Elizabeth David - Farinata, Socca or Chickpea Pizza Recipe

Socca, Farinata, Cecina, Faina, or as I like to call it, Chickpea Pizza

Ever since my youngest son was found to be allergic to wheat among other foods, I find myself constantly looking for gluten-free recipes that might remind him of something tasty he used to enjoy. Call it comfort food. One of the recipes I've been wanting to try for a while is Socca, Farinata, or as I call it Chickpea Pizza (although there's no cheese or tomato sauce involved). This Chickpea Pizza goes by many names. In Nice, it is called "Socca," in Tuscany "Cecina," and in Argentina "Faina." Whether you want to call it Farinata, Socca or Faina, this dish is made simply from chickpea flour, water and olive oil.

So, this week, when I found a simple recipe in Is There Nutmeg In The House by Elizabeth David, I knew I had to try it. Elizabeth David is being honored by a group of bloggers as one of 50 Women Game-Changers in food recently recognized by Gourmet Live. Mary from One Perfect Bite came up with this brilliant idea, so if you're interested in joining in on the fun, just ask Mary. We've been cooking our way through this list of 50 influential women in food, selecting a recipe from each of them to try each week.

According to Gourmet Live, "David's French Country Cooking predated Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking by a decade. The terribly influential British writer didn't so much teach a nation to cook French as inspire one to think Mediterranean." I have to admit that I had never heard of Elizabeth David before, but I enjoyed perusing through Is There Nutmeg In The House, a collection of her work over a period of four decades, published after her death in 1992.

In fact, Elizabeth David published eight books during her lifetime, including Book of Mediterranean Food (1950), English Bread and Yeast Cookery (1977), and Omelette and a Glass of Wine (1984).
 
Although traditionally Farinata is made with just chick pea flour, water and olive oil, Elizabeth David points out that the Farinata of Oneglia is "strewn with very finely sliced onions before it is consigned to the oven, and at Savona it is sprinkled with rosemary leaves." She discusses the thickness of Farinata, saying that if it is more than 1 1/4" thick, it becomes "stodgy." Her own variation includes adding some fennel seeds.

For this recipe, I had to buy chickpea flour. Although I've roasted chickpeas, pureed chickpeas and used chickpeas in soups, I've never used chickpea flour (although I have used a blend of chickpea/fava bean flour in gluten-free baking). Fortunately, there's an Indian grocery store nearby that I knew would carry chickpea flour, or besam flour as it's known. I'm sure an Italian grocery store or deli would probably also have it, packaged as farina de ceci.

Farinata, Socca or Chickpea Pizza

Adapted from Is There Nutmeg In The House. The original recipe calls for the Farinata batter to be baked in a shallow earthenware dish - I chose to use a cast iron pan. I found this recipe a bit salty, so I have halved the amount of salt in this recipe. I followed Elizabeth David's suggestions of adding thinly sliced onions and some fennel seeds to the Farinata batter. This recipe produced a fragrant and savory treat, crusty on the bottom and sides, with a chewy interior and creamy top. 

 Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound chick pea flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 pints less 2-3 tablespoons of water
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

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 an 11 inch diameter cast iron 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 50 minutes until the top is golden and crusty.
8. Serve it hot, sprinkled with freshy milled pepper, and cut into lozenges.

Serves 6.

Please stop by and take a look at what the rest of the group made this week in celebration of Elizabeth David:

Val from More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne from Eats Well with Others

Taryn from Have Kitchen Will Feed 

Susan from The Spice Garden 

Heather from girlichef 
Claudia from A Seasonal Cook in Turkey 
Miranda from Mangoes and Chutney
April from Abby Sweets

Katie from Making Michael Poland Proud

Mary from One Perfect Bite

Sue from The View from The Great Island

Kathleen from Bake Away with Me 
Viola from The Life is Good Kitchen 
Barbara from Movable Feasts 
Kathleen from Gonna Want Seconds 
Amy from Beloved Green