How To Make Farinata, Savory Italian Chickpea Pancake
Learning how to make farinata or socca, a savory Italian chickpea flour based pancake, has been a game-changer on my journey towards cooking more plant-based and vegan! The flavor of these are out of this world. The surface is crusty, the edges are crispy, and the inside is slightly creamy, rich, and delicate. The rosemary is a must as it gives it that final bit of savory to seal the farinatas to perfection. Added bonus- they are naturally gluten-free!
Disclaimer & Disclosure: There may be affiliate links in this post. Nothing here should be taken as medical advice. Please consult with a certified dietician or nutritionist about nutritional needs specific to you.
What is a Farinata?
I had my first farinata in Paris and had to learn to make it. Farinatas or Soccas are simply chickpea flour plus water made into a batter spiked with herbs, olive oil, salt, and then blistered in a really hot oven. Perfectly thin and savory herby pancakes. It is a street food dish found in Italy and France.
A perfect appetizer, snack, lunch, side dish or breakfast. I love these so so much.
What The Health?
For the gluten-free community, vegan community, non-dairy community, and low-carb community, farinatas are here for you. Amazing! Like what???!!!!! I know.
125 calories, 8.9g Fat, 9 grams Carbs, 3.2g Protein per serving.
Intrigued yet? You may also like these Natural Foodie Recipes: Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes, Quick Bread Recipes, Breakfast Recipes, Caribbean Recipes.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE FARINATA
Here’s your grocery list:
Chick pea (garbanzo bean) flour, 1 cup
Salt, 1 tsp- I use pink Himalayan salt
Ground black pepper, 1 tsp
Warm water , 1 cup
Extra virgin olive oil, 6 tbsp- divided
Yellow onion, 1/2 medium finely chopped
Fresh or dried rosemary, 1 tsp finely chopped
That’s it! Full recipe, including detailed step-by-step instructions provided in recipe card below. So keep scrolling!
How To Make Sure Your Farinata Is Perfect Every Time
There are a few tips I found extremely helpful when making this dish. First of all, it’s extremely easy.
Prepare your batter in advance.
Love how meal prep friendly this recipe is. Allowing the batter to thicken adds to that rich creamy center and encourages the delicious crusty outside. My favorite method is to prepare the batter the day before and let the farinata batter rest in the fridge covered for 8-12 hours.
If you don’t want to wait, that’s ok too. I’ve made the batter and covered it while the oven pre-heats only. Other times, I’ve covered the bowl and allowed it to rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
Use a really good olive oil.
This is definitely the type of dish worth using the good olive oil. Your friends and family will think you’re super fancy. Shoot, I feel extra fancy eating this by myself!
The olive oil is divided in several stages. First two tablespoons are swirled into the batter before resting. Another tablespoon to grease the pan. 1/2 tsp to sauté the onions. After baking, another 1-2 tbsp is brushed on top. Finally, if you so desire (which I usually do), after broiling quickly to get some brown spots on top drizzle another 1-2 tablespoon. Soooooo delicious.
Don’t leave out the onions and rosemary.
They add that final touch of perfection. Make sure the onions are sautéed. I usually get the pan nice and hot and just sauté them in 1/2 tsp of olive oil for 3 minutes.
Finely chop the rosemary, and fresh rosemary preferred. For the rosemary, make sure to finely chop them or else you’ll feel like your pulling twigs out your teeth when eating. The flavor of the rosemary is a must have in these savory pancakes, but it’s super annoying if you don’t finely chop them so don’t forget about this tip.
Let’s make these babies now!
How To Make Farinatas
Equipment
- 9 inch round baking dish
- mixing bowl
- cling wrap/saran wrap or kitchen towel
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
- 1 tsp Salt (I use pink Himalayan salt)
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 cup Warm water
- 6 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ medium Yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Fresh or dried rosemary, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare batter by whisking 1 cup of chickpea flour with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
- Slowly whisk in one cup of warm water.
- Add 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil to the batter.
- Cover and put in fridge, ideally 8-12 hours. It is also fine to just prepare batter and cover while oven is pre-heating, but best batter consistency is rested for 8-12 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Use 1 TBSP olive oil to generously grease 9-inch round baking dish.
- Sautee onion in 1/2 tsp olive oil for 3 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Immediately pour sautéed onions into the prepared baking dish. Add finely chopped rosemary to onions.
- Pour batter over the onions and rosemary and mix well so the batter, onions, and rosemary are evenly distributed to fill the dish.
- Bake in oven 10-15 minutes, until batter is firm and edges are set. I prefer 10 minutes.
- Brush top with 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- Set broiler on high and broil for 2 minutes to get nice brown spots on top.
- Drizzle 1-2 tbsp olive oil (optional) and serve immediately.
- If any manage to make it as leftovers, store in fridge 3-5 days in air tight container.
GOT QUESTIONS? I’m happy to help. Leave a comment and add some stars to let me know if you enjoyed this recipe. Let me know how you re-created it too. Also, please share it on social media. Tag #thenaturalfoodie. Thanks! -Salei
