Socca

I have a confession to make: sometimes I buy ingredients that I have no idea what I’m going to do with them. Thus was the case with the chickpea flour I bought several months ago. Up until a few days ago, I had no clue what to do with it. I used some of it in my vegan frittata to give it an egg-like texture, but aside from that, I wasn’t sure what else I could do with the flour.

I had picked it up originally because I saw it in a lot of gluten-free recipes, but I’d long since forgotten which recipes I was looking at when I thought getting some was an absolute necessity. However, a couple of days ago I came across this recipe for socca, a traditional tortilla-like dish from Nice, France.

Socca is made from equal parts chickpea flour and water with a pinch of salt and a little olive oil. I made it via the hot pan/broiling method as described in the recipe – basically putting a cast iron skillet under the broiler and warming it, pouring the batter in, and then broiling again for several minutes to crisp the top. However, there are other ways you can make this recipe if you’d like.

I found this to be a great mix between a tortilla and a pita, which was perfect for dipping in hummus. The traditional way to serve it is cured olives and cheeses, but you could serve it with any number of veggies or dips. You could also use this as an option for a gluten-free pizza crust.

So, if you, like me, have some chickpea flour sitting on the shelf, try out this simple yet satisfying recipe for a snack or appetizer.