Farinata/Socca

Farinata is an Italian pancake made of chickpea/gram flour, water, salt and olive oil. Actually, it's found in Spain and in France under the name socca, though the French make it thin and use it almost as a wrap.

You can add herbs, sundried tomato, roasted garlic or onion - whatever you fancy - when you make farinata. Here's how I make it:

Equal parts by volume of gram flour and water (I tend to use 1.5 cups of each, US measurement)

A dash of salt to taste

About a tablespoon or so of olive oil

Whisk well, cover, and let sit for anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours on the counter - there's no need to refridgerate. The longer you leave it (up to 12 hours max), the thicker and lighter the mixture becomes.

Heat the oven to 180c/350f

Pour the batter into a pan (I use a 10" cast iron skillet which has sat in the oven, heating up)

Grease the pan with a layer of olive oil, then pour in the batter

At this point, add whatever you wish (a lovely, dramatic idea is large sprigs of rosemary and sundried tomatoes)

Bake for 10-12 minutes, let cool slightly, and carefully slide out of the pan.

Here's how I use it as a pizza base:

When mixing the batter, I add slightly wilted fresh/defrosted frozen spinach

Once the farinata's baked, I add toppings and bake again for another 10 minutes.

To make socca:

Pour into a heated pan/griddle on the stove, spreading thinly in batches to create thick crepes

Take each crepe, make a sort of cone, and add roasted vegetables (red onions, garlic, courgettes/zucchini, peppers, etc.)

It's a great, versatile recipe that can be made up the night before, or first thing in the morning, which takes only a couple of minutes. I've made pizza in 20 minutes flat by making the batter and immediately using it - even though it hasn't developed the lightness and rounded taste of batter that's been left to sit, it is hugely tasty. Plain, it can be eaten along with any veg and legumes. 

High in protein, low in fat, gluten-free, vegan, and frankly fabulous.