Herbed Chickpea Pancake

I finally made a decent socca!

They were doing appetizers on The Chew last week and I realized that the reason I had been enjoying soup and salad so much was because it was like an appetizer meal.  Also, TGIFriday's has been advertising their Endless Apps promo.  The idea of an appetizer dinner sounded good, so I made something resembling two of the dishes on that episode.  First up is Mario's chickpea pancake.

The water to chickpea flour ratio in this recipe is 1:1 by volume, which must be where I went wrong following the other recipe.  This version also puts just a bit of flavoring inside the pancake, then you top it however you like after it's baked.

This was also an excellent pantry dish.  The only thing I bought new was 50¢ worth of Roma tomatoes for the garnish.  Bear in mind, if you don't have these things on hand, it's going to cost you about $15.  Most of that is the flour and cheese, and counts buying staples like onion and oil.

*1 C chickpea flour
1 C warm water
*4 Tb olive oil, divided
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/2 C finely diced onion
*1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
*1/2 tsp dried oregano
*1-1/2 C chopped herbs or baby greens
salt and pepper to taste
Dollops of *cheese, herbs, or chopped tomatoes for garnish

1.  Early in the day, stir together the chickpea flour, water, 1 Tb olive oil, rosemary, and a dash of salt.  Let sit at room temperature a minimum of 2 hours.  I did this step before work and left the pitcher covered on the counter.

2.  I also did this step in the morning.  Sauté onion and garlic in another tablespoon of oil.  Sprinkle in oregano and cook until translucent.  I put this part in the fridge until I was ready to move on.

3.  Go out into the garden and pick handfuls of your suddenly overgrown arugula.  JK.  Start preheating oven to 450º with an oven-safe 10" skillet or cast-iron pan in it.  Finely chop your greens or herbs.  Add to batter, and add the onion mix to the batter as well.  Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine evenly.  Oh, and it's safe to taste the uncooked batter.  I wouldn't drink it, but a quick taste won't make you sick.

4.  USING OVEN MITTS, pull pan from oven.  Set on a heat-safe surface like the stove.  Drizzle 2 Tb of oil on pan and swirl to coat.  Make sure every part of the pan has at least a little oil on it.  Pour batter into pan.  It will sizzle around the edges as it starts to cook.  Swirl batter a bit to make sure it spreads evenly and put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until edges are crispy and center is dry and firm.

5.  Carefully loosen pancake with a wooden or heat-proof spatula and slide onto a serving plate.  Cut into wedges and serve hot, topped with a soft cheese like ricotta or mascarpone and a sprinkle of herbs or diced veggies.

Difficulty rating :)