Farinata

As promised, this week’s recipe is Farinata!

Farinata is a super easy, versatile and delicious Italian flatbread made with chickpea flour. It originated in Genoa and is also known as torta di ceci, cecino, or socca in France. There are many Farinata origin stories but my favorite and slightly funny story claims it was invented by a group of Roman soldiers who roasted chickpea flour on their shields to make a crespelle, a very thin crêpelike pancake. I admire the resourcefulness and creativity.

Farinata has become a favorite of mine not only for it’s versatility but it’s actually good for you. Chickpea flour is packed with protein, fiber and nutrients. If you’re gluten free or just want an alternative to white flour this is a great substitute for pizza dough and much easier to make. Is it exactly the same as pizza? Of course not but it is definitely as good in it’s own way.

Serves 1-4 This 10 inch farinata can be dinner for one or two and would be a perfect appetizer for 4 people.

Prep time: 35 minutes Cook time: 10- 20 minutes depending on toppings

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea flour

1 cup water

1 1/2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan and drizzling

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh rosemary (You can use other herbs dried and fresh. Dried oregano is also good. )

1/2 tsp garlic salt (optional)

Equipment

10-inch cast iron skillet

Flat spatula

Knife

Measuring cups and spoons

Whisk

Instructions

Prepare the chickpea batter. Whisk the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. Let rest for at least 30 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the water. I like to leave it in the fridge for 4-6 hours and whisk the batter well just before frying

Preheat the oven and then the pan. Arrange an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler element and heat to 500°F. About 5 minutes before the batter is done resting, place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and turn the oven to broil.

Add the batter to the prepared pan. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan when the pan is swirled. Pour the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan so the batter coats the entire surface of the pan, if needed.

Broil the farinata for 5 to 8 minutes. Broil until you see the top of the farinata begin to blister and brown, 5 to 8 minutes. The farinata should be fairly flexible in the middle but crispy on the edges. If the top is browning too quickly before the batter is fully set, move the skillet to a lower oven rack until done.

You can serve farinata as is with a little olive oil and herbs or top with pesto when its just out of the oven. if you want to add traditional pizza toppings just take the farinata out before its completely brown (after 4-5 mins in the oven) and top with tomato sauce, cheese, sausage or whatever your favorite toppings are. Put the farinata back in the oven and cook until bubbly.

It’s best to keep an eye on this. All ovens are a little different so watch the temperature and time. I like this nice and crispy with some black spots. Cook for a little less time if that’s not really your thing but I assure you it’s best when its slightly chewy and crisp at the edges.

Picture recipe:

Fully cooked crispy farinata

10 yellow cherry tomatoes

10 red cherry tomatoes

1/2 small red onion sliced thin

1 clove garlic minced

3 strips bacon diced and cooked

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh rosemary (roughly chopped basil would be nice too)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook bacon pieces in a skillet over high heat. Transfer to paper towel and set aside leaving about a Tbsp of bacon fat in the pan and keep the pan on high. Add the tomatoes and onions and cook until blistered. Add your garlic and cook for another minute. Salt and pepper the mixture so its well seasoned as this will be the “sauce” for your pizza. Smash the tomatoes a little, letting some of the juices out before removing from the heat and setting the mixture aside.

Before frying the egg, start your farinata. Cook the farinata completely using the directions above.

While the farinata is cooking fry your egg the way you like it. I’m actually an over medium person but for the sake of the photo I did a sunny side up egg. It was still delicious.

When the egg is done and farinata is ready, spread the tomato mixture over the hot farinata, add the egg and sprinkle with bacon and rosemary. You can also sprinkle with pecorino which and a little bit of olive oil.

These are really best fresh from the oven but you can make them in advance and toast them until warm under the broiler later. If you do this I would under cook them slightly. This would make sense if you plan to add traditional pizza toppings like cheese. You can top the undercooked farinata then put it under the broiler for 5 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Enjoy!