Recipes Vegetarian

Socca pizzas with roasted vegetables

socca_pizza

socca_pizza
socca_pizza

 

After this socca a little while ago with figs I made countless other variations. For those who arent’t familiar with socca: it’s sort of a savory pancake, made with chickpea flour (also called gram flour). Socca is originally from Nice, but it’s eaten (albeit with a different name: ‘farinata’) in Italy. At the moment, soccas are hugely popular and the fact that they’re gluten free probably has something to do with that.

I like to make fairly small soccas, add some toppings (as if you’d be making a pizza) and place them under a hot oven grill. The two versions in this post are highly recommended: roasting the vegetables really intensifies the flavors and makes them nice and crunchy, which forms a lovely contrast with the soft creaminess of the cheeses.

Socca pizza number one has a topping of roasted broccoli, buffalo mozzarella and a splash of good quality balsamic vinegar. The second one is topped with goat brie (can easily be subsititued by regular brie or any soft cheese you like, but I encourage you to try the creamy, yet tangy goat brie) and roasted brussels sprouts.

You can easily make the soccas in advance and store them in the fridge, although I would leave the toppings behind until you’re ready to eat. In that case, dinner is served in just a few minutes.

 

socca_pizza

socca_pizza

INGREDIENTS
for 6 small pizzas (2-3 persons)

7 oz (200 g) brussel sprouts, halved
4 tbsp olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
½ small head of broccoli, in florets
½ tsp chili
6 slices (goat) brie
4 oz (125 g) buffalo mozzarella, sliced
2 ¼ cups (250 g) chickpea flour (sometimes called gram flour)
chopped green herbs, to serve

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Mix sprouts with 1 tbsp olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and pepper and salt. Spread out on a lined baking sheet.

Mix the broccoli florets with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle over the chili, pepper and salt. Place next to the brussel sprouts on the sheet.

Roast the vegetables fora bout 20 minutes, or until you notice lightbrown spots and the veggies are done. Make sure to pay attention, because they can suddenly burn pretty easily.

Meanwhile, make the socca. To make the batter, whisk together the chickpea flour, 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 cups (500 ml) water and season with 2 big pinches of salt.

Heat a 20cm (8in) nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil, pour in about 4 tablespoons of the batter and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bottom is crispy and the top is almost set. Carefully flip the socca and cook for 1 minute more. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Preheat the oven grill. Top 3 soccas with brie and roasted sprouts and the other half with broccoli and mozzarella. Drizzle the latter with some extra balsamic. Put the soccas in the oven until the cheese is melted and serve straight away, with green herbs if you like.

 

Related posts