Recipe from Provence: Socca with Artichokes
Provençal cuisine is one of the most popular regional cuisines in France. Thanks to its location and favourable climate, Provence produces wonderful products from the land and the sea. You can also taste influences from Italy and North Africa in typical Provençal dishes, such as socca, the most famous chickpea snack from Nice.
Socca, a crispy pancake made from chickpea flour and baked in special pans in a wood-fired oven, is related to Ligurian farinata and absolutely delicious. It is easy to make, even if you do not have a wood-fired oven. It is best to make the batter the night before. I sometimes like to add ingredients to the socca batter: rosemary, thyme, artichokes, broad beans, cheese, or all of them. This is a version with artichokes and rosemary.
How to make socca from Nice
- Sift the chickpea flour into a large bowl and slowly whisk in 360 ml water until no lumps remain. Whisk in the olive oil. The batter should now have the consistency of cream. Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to the grill setting.
- Using your thumb and index finger, break off the tough outer leaves of the artichoke. Remove more leaves until the leaves are lighter in colour and feel soft. Cut off the top centimetre of the artichoke, where the colour changes from purple to yellow. You may need to cut some of the stem away; usually everything 5 cm below the cone is too tough. Using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, peel the tough, dark pieces from the stem. Cut the artichoke in half, remove the choke (the hairy centre), slice lengthwise into thin strips and store in lemon water until ready to use.
- Drain the artichoke strips just before eating and sprinkle with salt.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Pour a 1 mm layer of olive oil into the pan, completely covering the base. Slowly pour the chickpea batter into the pan as soon as the oil starts to smoke. The layer of batter should be no thicker than 2 mm, like a pancake. The oil will splatter and bubbles will form around the edge. Divide the artichokes over the socca, together with the rosemary. Fry for 1 minute over medium-high heat, until the base of the socca is crispy.
- Remove the pan from the heat and place it under the hot grill. Grill the socca until golden brown and crispy on top, but still slightly soft inside. The socca may burn lightly in places, but that is exactly what makes it good.
- Remove the socca from the pan and immediately cut it into strips. If desired, grate some Parmesan cheese over it and sprinkle with sea salt flakes and a little black pepper. Eat the socca while it is still hot.
Title: Provence
Author: Alex Jackson
Price: €25,95
Publisher: Good Cook
Read also:
