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socca

(2 ratings)
Celestina9000 avatar
Recipe by
C G
@Celestina9000
Vallèe du Willamette, OR

From 'The Sweet Life in Paris" by David Lebovitz. "It's essentially a pancake-crepe hybrid...cooked until blistered and nearly burnt over a wood-fired oven. Socca is meant to be in rough shards, eaten with your fingers..."

(2 ratings)
yield serving(s)
prep time 2 Hr 10 Min
cook time 5 Min
method Broil

Ingredients For socca

  • SOCCA
  • 1 c
    chickpea flour (read *note below)
  • 1 c
    water, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1/4 tsp
    ground cumin
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp
    olive oil, divided
  • GARNISH:
  • 1/4 tsp
    cumin seeds, lightly crushed, approximately
  • 1 pinch
    smoked salt, small pinch (smoked salt helps mimic the taste of the socca when cooked in the traditional manner)
  • 1/4 tsp
    coarse salt, to taste (kosher, french, etc.)
  • 1/4 tsp
    fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
  • extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

How To Make socca

  • 1
    *Note: I don't use chickpea flour often and for that reason I make my own. To do this take approximately 1 cup of dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans and in batches process them to flour consistency in either a spice mill/coffee mill, food processor or blender. Use a sifter to remove any unprocessed beans and repeat. Garbanzo bean/chickpea flour is also known as besan or gram flour (not to be confused with graham flour). You can find it in well-stocked natural food stores in the bulk section and in markets that specialize in East Indian food products. In a bowl mix together the flour, water (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons), salt, cumin and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Cover batter and let rest at least 2 hours, at room temperature.
  • 2
    In a small prep bowl, combine cumin seeds or ground cumin, coarse salt, pinch of smoked salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.
  • 3
    To cook, heat the broiler in an oven. Oil a 9-10 inch pan I used a cast iron skillet which I highly recommend. A cast iron griddle would be ideal if you have one.) with olive oil and heat the pan in the oven on the rack closest to the broiler (our broiler is about 5" from the heating element.)
  • 4
    Once the pan and the oven are very hot, pour half the batter (or a third-I made two not three socca) into the pan to cover the bottom. Swirl it around then place the pan back in the oven.
  • 5
    Bake until the socca is firm and beginning to blister and burn. The exact broiling time depends on your oven. It took the test recipe about 6 1/2 minutes to broil and blister to my satisfaction. If the socca is broiling too quickly move the pan to a lower rack away from the heating element. Be very diligent while the socca is broiling!
  • 6
    Once done, slide the socca out of the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into pieces. This is a rustic bread and the slices don't have to be perfectly uniform.
  • 7
    Garnish with the cumin/salt mix and a good drizzle (yes, a lavish drizzle!) of best quality extra virgin olive oil. I enjoyed my socca slices with a little bit of chèvre and a few ribbons of fresh basil. Mmm!
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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