Artful Farinata

Farinata is the Italian version of socca.  Pretty much the same ingredients and procedures, just another name.

I got the idea to turn this one into a bit of vegetable art by the YouTube channel peas etc.  She cooked up a kilo of chickpea flour in various recipes, and this was one of them.  Unlike my tendency to drop all sorts of things into my soccas and hope for the best, she placed her vegetables strategically.  I decided I could do that.

And then I was tired and hungry after work, and very glad I had done all the chopping in the morning.  It still only took half an hour to cook.

I did think the recipe made more than it did.  If the photo looks like not nearly enough food for a dinner, you're right.  I defrosted half a bagel once this plate was finished.  Nutritionally, this is a main dish, but calorie-wise, it's 2 or 3 servings.  It would work well as an appetizer, side, or snack.  I could make it as part of a Purim spread.  But it was wonderfully easy and baked in the time it took me to change and water the garden.

1 C chickpea flour
1-1/4 C water
1 Tb Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Olive oil
*1/2 C grape tomatoes, cut in half
3 slices red onion
*2 Tb pesto
*2 Tb pine nuts

1.  At least 4 hours ahead, and up to 12, stir together chickpea flour, water, Italian seasoning, salt, and a teaspoon of oil.  Allow to rest until time to bake.

2.  Preheat oven to 450ºF.  Generously oil a nonstick pan.  I didn't want to get burnt oil stains on my quarter-sheet cake pan and lined it with parchment, which was then oiled.  It worked wonderfully.  Place prepared pan in the oven as it is coming up to temp.

3.  Prepare vegetables and think of a game plan how you want to place them.  They're going to move around a little, but not much.  Get everything ready so you can assemble the pan before it cools too much.

4.  Using oven mitts, remove pan and set it somewhere heat safe.  Stir the chickpea batter a few times to get rid of any lumps, then pour it into the pan.

5.  Arrange the vegetables, pesto, and pine nuts however you would like.  I didn't try to make a picture.  I wanted a little of everything in every slice.  The fluffy green stuff is carrot tops.  I didn't put them in the ingredients since carrots are often sold without them.  Quickly return the pan to the oven and bake until the top is dry and bottom is crispy, about 20 minutes.

6.  Slide the farinata out of the pan and onto a cutting board.  Cut into slices or wedges and serve.

Serves 2-3 as a main, 8 as an appetizer

Difficulty rating  :)