Socca

Steps

1. Traditional: Mix one cup chickpea flour (or fava bean flour, or a combination, or almost any whole-grain or whole-bean flour) with warm water to a thin pancake flour consistency; it should be pourable. Add a big pinch of salt and about a teaspoon of black pepper. You can let it sit for a while (and this was always part of our recipe, though really, I’m not sure it matters) or just proceed. Heat the oven to 500°F; while it’s heating, put a 12- or 14-inch round pan in there (the bigger one is better) – it can be a devoted socca pan, or a cast-iron skillet, or something like this awesome comal from Masienda. When it’s hot, add about ¼ cup of oil; put some chopped onion in the batter (let’s say 1 medium), and some rosemary if you have it, and pour that into the pan – be careful, obviously – trying not to let the pan cool much. It’ll sizzle. Bake, turning the pan occasionally, about 10 minutes or a little longer, until the socca browns on the edges and is dry elsewhere. (Better to let it burn a little on the edges than to have the center too moist, in my opinion.) Eat immediately.