Socca

One Provençal delicacy we didn’t try in France was socca, a thin flatbread made with chickpea flour. Given that several of our Friday night regulars are intolerant of wheat or gluten, this seemed like a good recipe to try.

Attempt #1. I used the recipe in Mireille Johnston’s Cuisine of the Sun. The batter was a simple mix of chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and a little salt. I made it in our 10″ cast iron frying pan. The recipe called for preheating the oven  to 400°, then turning on the broiler. The pancake was still a little gooey after the recommended baking time. It may be that the pan was too narrow in diameter, or that the heat didn’t get transferred adequately to the batter. Cast iron doesn’t conduct heat well.

Attempt #2. Julian’s turn. Under normal conditions his baking is limited to mixing up brownie mix, but he wanted to give it a try. He used a recipe from the New York Times. This iteration of the recipe added fresh rosemary. I picked a sprig or two from our plant. He used a larger Le Creuset pan to bake his recipe. Again, the middle was a bit undercooked. The flavor was good, but a bit salty. Julian said he’d reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. Again, I think the cast iron pans didn’t conduct heat well to the batter. I may try using our flimsy aluminum pizza pan next time.

Julian’s attempt at socca.