Socca may be my new favorite food. It is so fast and simple to make, it's healthy, it's packed with flavor, and it's as versatile as pasta. So, what the heck is socca? It's a crepe or pancake made from garbanzo bean flour. It's found in Italy and France where it is typically eaten plain as a snack. I just couldn't help but to dress mine up for dinner. I'm already dreaming of a million ways to eat socca. What will you do with it?
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 1/4 cups water
2 cloves garlic (microplaned)
2 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper (generous amount)
salt
Mix all ingredients with a whisk so there are no lumps. Batter should be thinner than pancake batter. Set mixture aside for at least 10 minutes. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Using a silicone pastry brush, coat the surface of the skillet with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet and keep your eye on it. Once the surface appears dry (about 2 minutes), use a metal spatula to flip it. Allow it to cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat until all batter has been used.
Creamed Arugula
1 large bag of fresh arugula
olive oil
2 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1 egg (beaten)
2 ounces goat cheese
water or milk
salt and pepper
Blanch arugula in super-salty water for a few seconds. Rinse and squeeze out any excess water. In a medium skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until toasted. Add the blanched arugula, egg, cheese, and about 2 tablespoons of water or milk. Mix vigorously until the egg has cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Artichoke and Pine Nut Ragout:
olive oil
1 large shallot (diced)
1 cup wine
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive paste (optional)
9 baby artichoke hearts (halved)
1 red bell pepper (peeled, diced)
1/2 cup mixed olives (chopped)
1 large tomato (peeled, diced)
1/4 cup pine nuts
10 capers
1/4 cup chopped parsley
In a large skillet over medium high heat, sauté shallot in 3 tablespoons olive oil until translucent. Add the wine, sugar, and salt. Reduce mixture until thick and syrupy. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through. (For this ragout, you do not want the vegetables to break down as they would in a tomato sauce.)
To assemble, spread creamed arugula on one side of the socca. Fold socca into quarters and place onto the plate. Top with ragout and grated parmesan.
*Make it vegan by leaving the egg and cheese out of the arugula*
