Socca with Chickpeas, Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Yoghurt
A socca is a traditional French savoury pancake with endless possibilities. Cut from the same cloth as Italian farinata (basically the same thing, except started off in a traditional, shallow, wide pan and then finished off in a wood-fired oven), a socca gets cooked from start to finish in a pan on the stove. The batter is so simple: it’s just besan (chickpea flour) mixed with water, salt and olive oil. So, bonus: it’s gluten-free. In Nice, it’s a street-food snack and a local speciality. I love serving this for aperitivo. Dipped in roasted garlic yoghurt, it’s quite simply divine, but you can go a step further and make it the base for a rocket (arugula) and tomato salad, serve it with shaved raw artichokes and pesto, or maybe as part of a salad with carrots and a coriander dressing. I think you will find many uses for this one.
Ingredients 10
Roasted Garlic Yoghurt
1 garlic bulb
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for roasting
100 g yoghurt, see my yoghurt recipe
1 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning
Socca
150 g chickpeas, cooked, drained, optional
125 g besan (chickpea flour)
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
70 ml olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
170 ml water
flaky salt, to serve
black pepper, to serve
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Method 9
Preheat the oven to 220ºC (430ºF).
To Make The Roasted Garlic Yoghurt
Cut off the top quarter of the and place it in the centre of a piece of aluminium foil. Pour over the and top with a good pinch of . Wrap the foil up tightly around the garlic and place it in a shallow roasting tin.
Roast for 1 hour until it is completely soft.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then squeeze out the soft and mix with the and . Set aside.
To Make The Socca
Crush the whole, drained , if using, with the back of a fork so you are left with some whole pieces and some crushed.
In a mixing bowl, combine the , chopped , 30 ml (1 fl oz) of the oil, the , and the crushed and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
Heat a small cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan on the stove over a high heat until it is smoking. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and immediately pour half of the batter into the pan, quickly swirling it around to cover the base of the pan. Leave on high on the stove for 1–2 minutes, or until the edges look golden brown and crispy.
Give it a flip and cook for another minute or two on the other side. Add a bit more if it has all been absorbed.
Place on a chopping board and cut into wedges, sprinkle with and black pepper, and serve with roasted garlic yoghurt for dipping. Repeat the cooking process to make the second pancake.
Danielle Alvarez's tips
Most recipes will tell you the batter needs to sit and hydrate for at least 12 hours. I have made this right after mixing and after letting it rest for a long time, and the difference is that the pancake gets crispier and takes on better colour after sitting for at least 12 hours. I don’t really know why, but it is true. The whole chickpeas in the batter are optional; I just like the texture they provide.
