Socca!

Socca will always have a very special place in my heart. Way back in the day, when I was 20, I took off on an a fairly epic journey. I drove with Jenny back to her school in Philly via the Southwest and then flew to travel around Europe for a month by train before meeting my study abroad group in Roma. Everything about it was totally brilliant, except that I was really hungry all the time.

I was vegan and fairly insistent about not bending the rule even the tiniest bit while travelling. Let's face it, I was 20, and when you are 20 you are naturally self-righteous. But I paid the price for it those first three weeks and I was getting more than a little bit cranky living on the road and eating only baguettes. I was on my way to Nice, when I read about their intriguing street food in the guidebook. Socca! Socca is a vegan (gluten free even) flatbread sold by street vendors all through this beautiful town. I went straight for the first vendor as soon as I arrived. It did not disappoint. Warm and peppery, this pizza like dish melts in your mouth and makes you feel totally content. The street vendors make it in these metal barrel BBQs so it has this smokiness to it. Plus it makes it that much more the perfect hobo food for the lost vegan girl riding the train around. I make this delight at home whenever I'm feeling nostalgic.

 

This is Mark Bittman's recipe for Socca, I use it for reference when I make mine. Since I am watching my calories, I only used 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and it's still good but doesn't melt in your mouth like the real thing. He's not kidding about the pepper, the more the better. I usually skip the rosemary and onion in favor of a teaspoon of cumin, which is how I enjoyed it in Nice.

Socca (Farinata)
Time: 45 minutes

1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon, at least, ground black pepper
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced, optional


1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, optional.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a well-seasoned or nonstick 12-inch pizza pan or cast-iron skillet in oven. Sift chickpea flour into a bowl; add salt and pepper; then slowly add 1 cup lukewarm water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover, and let sit while oven heats, or as long as 12 hours. Batter should be about the consistency of heavy cream.
2. If using onion and rosemary, stir them into batter. Pour 2 tablespoons oil into heated pan, and swirl to cover pan evenly. Pour in batter, and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until pancake is firm and edges set. Heat broiler, and brush top of socca with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil if it looks dry.
3. Set socca a few inches away from broiler for a few minutes, just long enough to brown it spottily. Cut it into wedges, and serve hot, or at least warm.

Yield: 4 to 6 appetizer servings.

To impart that same BBQ smoky flavor, I make mine in a cast iron skillet:
 

Socca is excellent on its own, but it's fun to dress up too. Here I've made it like a pizza, mimicking my favorite vegan pizza from carmelita. This is white beans pureed with truffle oil, porcini mushrooms, pecans, roasted garlice, and water cress. Yum.

 

And since I am definitely not a vegan anymore -- I actually gave up soon after leaving Nice nearly 14 years ago -- I thought I'd try it out with one of my favorite combinations: havarti and tomato. This was better than the toasted havarti and tomato sandwich I made a few weeks ago.