Comfort food can come from anywhere.
If you told me my new favorite comfort food would be vegan, gluten-free, and made mostly from chickpeas, I would have said you were crazy. Turns out comfort food I guess comfort food can appear in any form and come from anywhere—even a bag of chickpea flour.
Socca, also known as farinata or cecini, is a Mediterranean flatbread baked on a griddle. Made from chickpea (also known as garbanzo bean) flour, oil, and water, it’s sold on the streets of France and Northern Italy, especially in Nice, where it’s typically seasoned with herbs, cut into wedges, and served warm in little brown paper bags. Though lots of pictures show it ½” thick and recipes often direct you to bake it in the oven, its thickness can vary and thinner versions can be cooked entirely on the stove top, similar to crepes. I love tearing into a thick wedge of carbs, but in this case I actually prefer the thinner pancakes—they’re great for stuffing with beans, grains, and other veggies, and you can even fill them with melty cheese for a Mediterranean spin on a quesadilla.
Do they taste like chickpeas? It depends on who you ask. To me, they taste pleasantly nutty, but not in a nasty bean way. The actual chickpea flour, on the other hand, smells disgusting when you open the bag. Don’t worry—the smell will quickly fade once you start mixing the batter, and by the time you’re pouring it into the skillet, you won’t smell anything but that delicious nuttiness.
Soft, lacy griddle cakes, stuffed with crispy mushrooms, sauteed kale, and goat cheese. The tangy goat cheese perfectly balances the earthy mushrooms and rich kale, and that nutty soft pancake is the perfect wrap to—literally—tie it all together. Warm and comforting, it’s a simple soul-satisfying meal that manages to be incredibly nourishing and richly delicious all at once.
Enjoy!
Chickpea Pancakes with Mushrooms and Kale
(Serves 4)
1 cup chickpea flour
6 tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 cup room temperature water
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped into 3-inch pieces
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Method
In a large bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 cup room temperature water. Set aside to let hydrate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pan (preferably cast iron), heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring only occasionally, until browned and crisp on both sides, 5-7 minutes. Remove to a large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onion is mostly tender, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more, then add kale, remaining teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, tossing often, until kale is tender, 2-3 minutes more. Remove from pan and add to plate with mushrooms. Keep warm.
Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in the cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Whisk chickpea batter—it should be slightly thicker than crepe batter—and pour 1/3 cup batter into the center of the preheated pan, swirling the pan if necessary to spread into a 7-8-inch circle. Cook until set on top and browned in places underneath, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook 1 minute longer. Remove to a baking sheet and keep warm, then repeat with remaining oil and batter.
Divide cooked mushrooms and kale between the chickpea pancakes; sprinkle over goat cheese. Serve warm.
Originally posted September 14, 2022.
Comments