Socca to me: versatile chickpea bread with loads of toppings

One of my friends always makes socca pancakes for her children and swears they love them. They spread them with guacamole or tapenade and roll them up like crepes. So I bought chickpea flour and tried them only to discover that they are not at all like crepes.

They’re heavier with a dense, chewy texture. I was not a fan. Left with a huge bag of chickpea flour, I started to use it for everything. Chickpea flour, known as gram flour or besan, is widely available.

It’s a pantry staple and the key to creating so many delicious foods like pakoras or this gorgeous socca.

I like to use this almost like a pizza base. At the end of the day though, nothing but wheat pizza dough will make the best pizzas so I’m taking socca breads for what they are: delicious chickpea bases that are delightful with as much flavour and toppings as possible. This recipe is gluten-free and egg-free, and without all that delicious feta it would be vegan too.

The socca batter is incredibly quick and easy to prepare. Socca is a northern Mediterranean staple, also known as farinata. There are many regional twists so make it your own, it’s very hard to go wrong.

Roll it up

I sometimes keep it plain or add some ingredients to the batter like the recipe below. You can make thin socca to use for sandwiches, roll it up to make burritos or go for a themed topping like the Greek style one I’ve chosen.

One of my favourite ways to have socca is by spreading spicy tomato sauce on it topped with black beans, salsa, guacamole, jalapeños and cheese. With a generous spritz of lime juice it’s divine.

I’ve made a simple gremolata to scatter on top of this. Gremolata is based on three simple ingredients: lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Chop the parsley by hand for best results as the gremolata should be scattered and not drizzled.

It adds a bright pop of flavour anywhere it’s added. Make a big batch to keep in the fridge and you’ll find countless uses for it, from finishing off a roast chicken, scattering over baked fish or as a garnish for soup.

Socca bread is best eaten hot or warm and it freezes well once wrapped properly, just defrost fully before reheating. Any leftover socca can be cut into triangles or fingers and deep fried to make the addictive Provençal snack, panisses.

Ingredients for socca with gremolata and whipped feta

(Makes two eight-inch breads)

200g chickpea flour

500ml water

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 small red onion, diced

6 cherry tomatoes, diced with seeds removed

Handful of olives, chopped

100g feta cheese

2 tbsp natural yogurt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

20g flat leaf parsley

1 clove garlic, crushed

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Method

Whisk all of the socca batter ingredients together till just mixed. Cover and set aside for an hour.

Blitz the whipped feta ingredients together and set aside. This thickens the longer it is kept in the fridge.

Finely chop the parsley, gently mix with the crushed garlic and lemon zest. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Brush two eight-inch sandwich tins or skillet pans with olive oil.

Pour the batter evenly between the two tins. Bake for 15 minutes until the socca is set and coming away from the side of the tin. Leave in the skillet or transfer to a wooden board or serving plate.

Drizzle with the whipped feta and scatter some gremolata over the top. Serve right away.