Farinata (Socca)

5 from 5 votes

Farinata is an Italian chickpea flour flatbread recipe also known as "socca".

This is a simple recipe, made by mixing together chickpea flour and extra virgin olive oil, then baking it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Breads, Side dish, Starter

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: cecina, farinata, socca

Servings: slices

Calories: 107kcal

Author: Nico

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 twists black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Metric - USA

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 480°F or 250°C. Add chickpea flour, salt, and water to a bowl and blend with an immersion blender for 3 to 5 minutes till completely smooth. You can also use a regular blender.
With a spoon, remove some of the foam from the top of the chickpea batter. We do this because the foam tends to burn in the oven.
Add the oil to the baking sheet and spread it out evenly.
You could use baking paper instead of oil on the baking sheet, but in that case, you'd have to add the oil to the batter. The thing is, a socca without oil is not going to be good.
Gently pour the chickpea batter into the center of the pan or skillet, but first over a spoon and not pour directly into the pan.
Pouring directly from the bowl into the pan will displace the oil, and the socca will stick.
Bake at 480F (250C) for 10 minutes, then set your oven to grill mode and grill the farinata for another 10 minutes.
It should be well cooked, golden and crispy on top, and soft and smooth on the bottom.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Farinata is best eaten hot, right out of the oven.

Video

Notes

Serving suggestions

The traditional way to eat farinata is with a sprinkle of salt and a couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper. You can also eat it in two slices of bread or focaccia.

Nowadays, however, socca has become much more "hipster" than in the past, and you can serve it or top it off with many different things like tapenade, fresh herbs, steamed artichokes, etc.

We eat it as an appetizer or as a light main meal, along with olives, spreads, grilled vegetables, or even better, with our eggplant caponata or cherry tomatoes confit.

Nutrition