Parsley Socca with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant

I'm all about the long titles lately.  This one builds on previous recipes, so it isn't like I'm throwing a whole bunch of new stuff at you at once.

For those of you who missed it the first time, socca is a Mediterranean chickpea pancake.  They're traditionally plain with toppings, but I've taken to stirring herbs or vegetables into the mix itself, then topping it with something that didn't fit in the batter once it's out of the pan.

This does require a few hours of planning, but at least it is increasingly easy to find the garbanzo flour.

Just a quick reminder that vegan and gluten-free doesn't automatically mean healthy.  There's a total of a quarter cup of oil in this recipe, one tablespoon per serving.  At that rate, I might as well go back to eating meat more often.

1 C garbanzo bean flour
1 C water
1/4 C olive oil, divided
kosher salt and pepper to taste
*1/2 C diced onion
*1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1 large eggplant
1 head garlic

1.  At least 4 hours before, and up to overnight, whisk together flour and water.  Stir in 2 tsp oil and a little salt and pepper.  Allow to rest at room temperature to hydrate.

2.  An hour before, cook garlic and eggplant.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Pierce eggplant in several places and set on a rack in a roasting pan.  Cut top off garlic to expose cloves, and peel off the outer parts of the skin.  Drizzle with a little oil and wrap in foil.  Place next to the eggplant and roast for about 45 minutes.

3.  While that's in the oven, sauté the onion in a little oil in a 10" oven-safe skillet until softened.  Allow to cool a little before adding to the batter, then rinse out the pan.  Chop parsley and add to batter.

4.  When the eggplant is cooked, remove from oven and turn it up to 450º.  While it's preheating, put the skillet in there to preheat as well.

5.  Thoroughly stir batter to break up any remaining lumps.  Pour remaining 2 Tb of oil into hot skillet and swirl around to coat bottom and parts of the sides.  Remember to wear oven mitts the whole time!  Pour batter into skillet and swirl until set.  Return to oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until crispy.

6.  By now, you should be able to unwrap the garlic and scoop the insides of the eggplant.  Chop the eggplant.  Squeeze cloves out of their skin onto the eggplant and stir together.

7.  Remove socca from oven and coax out of pan with a wooden spoon.  Cut into wedges and serve, topped with eggplant mix.  I went non-vegan by adding parmesan, plus some pine nuts for crunch.

Serves 2 as a main, 4 with sides

Difficulty rating  :)