Years ago, Kerri and I started making mock socca with different flours – because, after all, it’s just a big thin pancake. Wheat is good: buckwheat, too. There are undoubtedly traditions in using these, not for socca/farinata, but for similar roasted pancakes elsewhere.
Last night, I did it with purple barley, which was local (and given to me by Glynwood’s resident grain genius, June Russell) – and it was sensational. (Hayden Flour grinds it, as do others. I ground my own, I’m proud/embarrassed to report, with my little MockMill.) I will confess I used a little sourdough and let the thing rest for a few hours first, but that was because I have the sourdough. But let me walk you through it both ways:
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.
Adapted: Mix about 50g each of starter and water with 100g of flour (I used barley, as I said, but again any whole-grain flour or bean flour will work), and water and stir; add water if necessary to make a thick, stirrable batter. Let sit for an hour, or six – I don’t think this matters much. Heat the oven and proceed as above, thinning the batter at the last minute with more water to make it pourable. Bake as above also. [Editor’s note: You can find another of Mark’s socca recipes here.]
I write this at 7:30 a.m. I assure you I will be making another tonight. Once you start, you cannot stop.
