A cross between a pancake and a flatbread, Socca is a popular Mediterranean street-food made with chickpea flour. This naturally gluten free snack food should be creamy in the center, not floppy when you pick it up, with crisp, brown edges. It's so simple it's a must try for gluten free cooks.
If you're serving socca as part of a meal anything French or Italian is perfect. In winter I'd serve a hearty Chicken Cacciatore stew, in summer a classic Salad Nicoise. The simplest dessert, for coffee lovers, is Italian Affogato (espresso and ice cream).
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Fun Food Facts: Socca
Socca is a traditional street food originating from the Provence region of southeastern France and the Ligurian coast of northwestern Italy. In this area it is called socca. The rest of Italy calls it farinata, except in Tuscany where they call it cecina.
Ingredients
Socca is most often drizzled with olive oil then sprinkled with sea salt and rosemary. Adventurous gluten free cooks go way beyond that!
- Chickpea flour - Of course there are varieties of chickpeas, why wouldn’t there be! What this means for gluten free shoppers is that chickpea flour also goes by garbanzo bean flour, gram flour or besan. These are all chickpeas.
- Olive oil - Use the best quality you have.
- Sea salt flakes - This is where quality counts. Buy sea salt and you'll find more places to use it.
- Rosemary - Fresh or dried.
See recipe card for complete ingredient list and exact amounts.
Buying Gluten Free Ingredients
Find chickpea flour on Amazon or in East Indian and Mediterranean grocery stores. I sometimes see a brand with a certified gluten free symbol.
Instructions
This is a simple recipe yet there are a few tips for success.
- Sifting chickpea flour ensures there are no lumps in the bottom of the bowl but I've skipped this many times.
- Letting the batter rest allows the starch to gel so the pancake won’t split as it cooks. I've also skipped this step many times.
- For super tasters: In my research I read that you want the sweetness of the chickpea to come through so do not roast the flour. I never thought to do that.
- You can cook half the batter and leave the rest in the fridge to cook the next day. I like to use all the batter at once so I cook my socca in two cast iron pans at the same time. I just happen to have a 10-inch one and a 7-inch one so that's what I use.
Cooking Methods
The traditional way of cooking socca is in a cast iron pan on a roaring wood fire. Let’s assume you won’t be using a wood fire so these are my tips for the everyday home cook who has a stove and an oven.
- Oven Method: Preheat the oven and the frying pan to achieve the crisp edges without burning your socca or leaving it limp in the middle. A cast iron pan is best but try an oven safe pan it you don't have cast iron.
- Stove Top Method: Cook on the stove, or even a pancake griddle, and finish under the broiler.
Variations
Search up socca on Instagram or YouTube and you’ll see people making socca pizza, socca rolled up and stuffed like a crepe, socca sandwiches and even socca lasagne. If you're adventurous I'd love to know what you tried.
Storage
Socca is best when still warm. You can freeze the leftovers and although they won't be as good as fresh, they'll definitely be second best. Learn to use the power setting on your microwave and gently rewarm socca on less than full power.
Serving
The French love to eat socca with a chilled glass of rosé wine. Sounds like Friday night to me!
Get The Tools
Socca is best made in a cast iron frying pan. If you don’t have one ask around and someone might be happy to lend you the one they have with their camping supplies. If you're ready to buy one here are two options:
Top Tip: Be a Savvy Shopper
Chickpeas and fava beans are not the same. For this recipe you want pure chickpea flour; not bean flour, not fava bean flour and not a blend that combines or includes either of them.
Gluten Free Socca
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour sifted
- 1¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- additional oil for frying
Garnish
- olive oil good quality
- sea salt flakes
- rosemary, fresh or dried
Instructions
- Measure chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil in large bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.*
OVEN METHOD: 15-18 minutes
- Preheat oven and cast iron pan to 450°F.
- Remove the pan, add olive oil and swirl to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
- Pour in half the batter and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan, slightly coming up the sides.
- Return pan to oven and cook socca until the edges are crisp and brown but not burnt, 15-18 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
BROILER METHOD: 8-10 minutes
- Heat pan on medium-high. When hot add olive oil and swirl to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
- Pour in half the batter and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan, slightly coming up the sides. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Preheat oven on broil. Move pan to oven and broil until the top is brown and blistered, 5-7 minutes. Adjust rack if it browns too quickly or too slowly.
SERVING
- Remove cooked socca to cutting board. Sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
- Makes 1⅔ cups batter. Can easily be halved or doubled.
Notes
Nutrition
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New here? Overwhelmed or frustrated with gluten free? Get started with this guide to understanding gluten free flour. I guarantee, you can learn to cook gluten free food everyone wants to eat.
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More Chickpea Flour Recipes
If you bought the flour you'll want more ways to use it. Here are a few of mine.
Steshni Corea
Love this vegan snack and using chickpea flour!
Steshni Corea
Delicious treat! love that its vegan
Erin Maynard
One option mentioned is to let the batter sit overnight. Is this refrigerated or left on the counter? Thank you. 🙂
Cinde Little
Oops, I missed that Erin. I let it sit overnight in the fridge. Then skim off the foam and bake. Thanks for asking!