Socca

Socca is a flatbread that is sold by street venders in the South of France. It’s made with chickpea flour and olive oil, which becomes a thin batter that is poured out and cooked. When done, it’s cut into pieces and served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free garbanzo flour
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to drizzle on after it’s baked to taste
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Himalayan salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, water, olive oil, and dried herbs until well combined.
2. Cover a half size baking pan (13-inch x 18-inch x 1-inch) with either parchment paper or a large (11 5/8-inch x 16 1/2-inch) silicone baking liner. Heat in a preheated 400º F oven for 5 minutes. Using an oven mitt, remove from oven and place on a flat, heat safe surface.
3. Slowly pour the batter down the center of the baking liner or parchment paper, the long way. It should spread on its own toward the sides of the pan, but not touch the sides.
4. Again using an oven mitt, place the pan back into the oven and on the middle rack. Try not to tilt the pan when doing so, to prevent the batter from running into the sides of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is firm and the edges start to brown.
5. Remove from oven, let cool to touch, then use either a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut the socca into 6 or 8 equal pieces. Transfer to a serving platter or divide between serving plates. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Variations:

1. For an Italian flavor, replace Herbs de Provence with oregano.
2. Make it Mediterranean. After adding the salt and pepper, top with Homemade Hummus or store-bought, and sliced kalamata olives.
3. Turn it into pizza. After adding the salt and pepper, top with a stir-fry. To make the stir-fry, thinly slice onions, cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, and green bell pepper, then set aside. Heat in a wok or frying pan 3 tablespoon homemade Simple Vegetable Broth or gluten-free store-bought vegetable broth. Add the sliced ingredients and stir constantly. Add a little more broth as needed, to prevent sticking. After 10 minutes or when tender, remove from heat. Place a very thin slice of tomato on each serving of socca and top with equal amounts of stir-fry. If desired, make our recipe for Vegan Melted ‘Cheese’ and add evenly spaced dollops on top. Alternatively, make our recipe for Vegan Grated ‘Cheese’ and sprinkle a desired amount on top.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings