socca

July 14, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i've had a very loose summer "to-do" list, and i'm actually making progress on it (which is really encouraging because i'm the biggest procrastinator and lists rarely ever keep in line)! some items are coming along, while others are more of a long-term kind of deal:

plant a wild flower/meadow garden (and keep it alive) - so far ✔
work on toning my arms a la linda hamilton in terminator 2 - ✔ still a work in progress ;)
grill (gf + v) pizza! - ✔ we did this the other night, and while the grill was too hot, and the bottom of the dough was black and charred, it was still awesome. i'm planning a major post for this recipe when we get it just right!)
a designated no-social-media-day - eh, i have good weeks and not so good weeks with this one.
read more books, like real tangible books - half-✔. am i the only one who has my nose in the middle of about 5 books for the past 2 years? halp.

speaking of schedules and lists, the opposite can be said for what we've been eating recently. i've been on this kick of preparing easy peasy meals with familiar pantry items and whatever i pick up at the market that the weekend. there's always some sort of grain or legume, a punchy sauce to make things exciting, and little extras like fried capers or toasted breadcrumbs for added crunch and flavor. since the development side of my cookbook has wound down, i'm feeling like i have a surplus of quiet energy that's insisting to just go with the flow. for a while it was a non-stop schedule of recipe testing, styling, and shooting. and while it's been a really fulfilling project, it was also mentally and physically exhausting. so laying back and letting food, and cooking be breezy is what life is dictating at the moment, and i'm just going with it! this socca salad recipe is very much in line with what meals have been looking like around here this summer, veg-heavy, super gratifying, and importantly, low key.

my husband has always been on board with socca since i first began making it a few years ago. it was one of the first bread-y things (since going gluten-free) we could partake in and enjoy together, and it's been a wrap since then. this recipe is a very basic socca recipe, one that i've been making and tweaking for years. it's one of those tried and true recipes that i love preparing for lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer for when we have friends over. socca is so good that sometimes it's best when left plain and topless, but it can also be a blank canvas for just about anything you want to pile on top of it; in this case a simple summer salad. there's a bit of easy prep required but nothing that's tiresome or laborious, just some mixing, roasting, baking, and serving, all for an uncomplicated summer meal!

big hugs! x

summer socca salad w/ burst tomatoes + roasted zucchini (v + gf)

i make this socca 2 ways. the first one is using the entire batter in a 10-12" pan for 1 large, slightly thick round. the other way is to divide the batter between 2 pans and make 2 smaller soccas with a crispy texture. both variations are great, but i tend to like a smaller crispier socca when served with a salad. the toppings can of course vary to include different grains or vegetables, and the yogurt or hummus can be substituted for creme fraiche or labneh if dairy is your thing.

| serves 2 as a main |

socca

1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup + 1-2 teaspoons water
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2-3 garlic cloves minced

salad

5-6 small vine tomatoes
1 medium zucchini (about 1 heaping cup), sliced into 1/4" thick slices
olive oil
salt + pepper
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 cups mixed baby greens
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons hummus or tahini yogurt sauce
herb flowers or torn squash blossoms, for serving (optional)

method

socca batter

in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper; whisk in 1 cup of water - batter should be similar to thin pancake batter (but not as thin as crepe batter), if batter is too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time until batter has thinned out. drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the garlic, whisk until thoroughly combined. let mixture sit for 30 minutes or up until 12 hours lightly covered with a dishtowel.

salad

preheat oven to 400° F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. in a small bowl toss together the tomatoes, zucchini, and 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper. turn out onto the lined baking sheet and bake until tomatoes are burst and zucchini is tender, about 12-14 minutes. (if you're using smaller tomatoes like grape or cherry, cook time may be less.) remove from oven and let cool. combine the quinoa and greens in large bowl, then add the cooled roasted vegetables, set aside.

assemble

when you're ready to make the socca, place a 10-12" cast iron skillet (or an oven proof skillet) on an oven rack in the bottom third of your oven, then preheat to 450° F.
once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the skillet from the oven, pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet and gently swirl the pan to distribute the oil. give the socca batter one last whisk and then pour it into the skillet, swirling to evenly cover the pan. quickly place back into the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned; turn oven temperature up to 500° F and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until edges are crisp and browned and top of socca is golden.
remove skillet from oven, and let it rest while you dress the salad. drizzle salad with 3 teaspoons olive oil, and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. use a spatula to lift the socca from the pan and place on a large cutting board. slice the socca in half, or serve whole and top with hummus or yogurt, and the burst tomato and roasted zucchini salad.

enjoy!

**to make a smaller, thin socca (like the one pictured). heat two 10-inch skillets in the oven. once oven is preheated, remove pans one at a time; add 1-1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to cover pan. add half of the socca batter and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan; place back in oven and repeat with other pan. cook until edges are golden and crisp, about 10 minutes; turn oven temperature up to 500° F and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until edges are brown and top of socca is golden. remove from heat and serve with hummus/yogurt, and salad.

related recipes

a midsummer cherry + amaranth panzanella salad

spring fattoush salad w/ a creamy sumac-pine nut sauce, and wanting something more / April 29, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

some of you may know, as i've written before, i've had a few struggles with food on both ends of the spectrum: from not liking it at all, to over-consuming it at times. i thought i could solve this food problem on my own. first i went on a raw diet, then a juice/smoothie/diet/cleanse thing, and lastly, a quasi gluten free diet. not one of these ways of life proved to serve my physical or mental well-being in any significant way. so my quest for answers continued... a few months had gone by, and by that time i had kind of given up on "curing" myself, by myself.

i made an appointment with a nutritionist who had been recommended to my mom and off i went. among many other things (giving up bread included), she and i had a conversation about well-being; about treating our bodies the best we can. that visit not only changed my life, but it altered my outlook on REAL FOOD accessibility and wanting something more from those whose authority lies in the food industry. i thought about times i was at a concert, or a movie or a public space, there was no real food; items that had substantive ingredients, not just empty calories that offered stomachaches, a cloudy brain and bad skin. we, as a community of food-consuming people deserve better. to have access to wholesome food, to be able to afford it, to want something more for ourselves; not just what big agriculture or food corporations make the most money on, that we are worth of being well-nourished, not profited from.

i'm teaming up with two lovely ladies, Jody and Ashley for their Feel Something More Campaign - energizing people to feel, choose, be, something more than the status quo. They have a series of bloggers talking about their want for something more in life as well. next up is "The JUGs for Something More" by Just Us Gals (meredith, cameron and suzanne).

now about this salad! fattoush salads are a favorite of mine, seasonal veggies paired with torn flatbread, drenched in a creamy sauce/dressing kind of a deal - yes! all day. everyday. however, this fattoush salad has a bit more green - thanks spianch! you'll find a recipe for socca below, mainly because i chose to use it in the bread-y portion of the dish - it lends a similar texture as any other flatbread, plus it's super easy to throw together and bake up. lastly, the sumac-spiked pine nut sauce. i know people can be wary of nut-based things, but the nuts, vinegar and sumac all come together in such a considerable way; add that to this herby, crunchy, spring-green fattoush salad and it's all majorly satisfying. cheers, and all good things, friends!

spring fattoush salad w/ a creamy, sumac-pine nut sauce | gf + v

| serves 4 |

if you're going to skip the nut-based sauce, i would nudge you in the direction of this tahini sauce or even this yogurt-tahini sauce, both for their creaminess and pungent flavor.

ingredients

2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 sprigs mint (roughly 8-10 leaves), minced
1 bunch ramps, cleaned and white parts sliced thin (or spring onions)
1 small cucumber, quartered into 1/2" chunks
4-5 radishes, sliced thin by hand or mandolin
1/4 cup chives, minced
8" round of socca (recipe below), torn into large pieces (or gluten-free flatbread of choice)

sumac-pine nut sauce

1/3 cup pine nuts, soaked for 2 hours
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons filtered water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for garnish

garlicky socca

scant 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup warm filtered water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
a couple grinds of fresh pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

instructions

sumac-pine nut sauce

drain the pine nuts and transfer them to a high-speed blender (a food processor will do, but consistency won't be as creamy). add the shallot, vinegar, olive oil, salt and sumac; with the motor running, pour the water through the spout, 1 tablespoon at a time, to get desired consistency. scoop into lidded jar and transfer to refrigerator until ready to use

garlicky socca

place an 8" cast iron pan inside your oven and preheat to 450°
combine the garbanzo bean flour, salt + pepper with a whisk. drizzle in water while whisking to incorporate; add the olive oil and minced garlic and whisk again. set aside
gently remove preheated pan from oven, pour the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, give it a swirl to ensure even coverage. pour socca batter into pan and gently place back into the center of your oven. cook for 12 minutes, edges should be pulled away from sides and lightly browned; remove from oven and flip the socca over. return back to the oven and cook for another 3-4 minutes. remove from heat and let cool completely
once cooled, tear into large chunks. leave the flatbread out for about 20 minutes while you prepare the salad

assemble salad

remove sauce from refrigerator and allow to come to room temp. add a teaspoon or two of water to get sauce nice and creamy
in a large serving bowl, combine all of the salad items. pour half the sauce over the salad and combine, depending on your preference, add more sauce.
garnish with some added sumac (optional)

enjoy!

green shakshuka w/ smoky socca / January 21, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the other day i was up at some crazy hour in the morning thinking about this cute, wobbly old table i had purchased a few years ago. the table made a brief appearance here in our new(er) apartment, but was sent to my parents basement - or as we call it, storage - for a day when we have a large enough place to fit cute, non-essential furniture. anyway, the other day i was thinking that i missed that table's cheerful turquoise hue, and its random chips of paint. i told my dad that i was thinking of a way to utilize the table and asked if there was a way to trim the legs and make a tray. my dad, being a pretty smart (and rad) guy, transformed this once not so very functional piece of furniture into not only a large serving tray, but was also able to save other parts of the dismantled table for wall shelves! the tray now sits comfortably on our ottoman in the living room, and makes a pretty backdrop for photographs ;)

on to this shakshuka. like most people i eat a red shakshuka, and sometimes a reddish-green shakshuka. that was until i ate green shakshuka at my most favorite restaurant, jack's wife freda. the base of their green sauce is tomatillos, green peppers, cilantro, onion and garlic. the shakshuka here is a riff off of theirs. not knowing exactly how they prepare it, i took to making it how i would prepare a regular red shakshuka and frank and i love it! the sauce isn't as sweet and i definitely make it spicier when it's green, and i LOVE the taste of the cilantro mixed with the heartiness of kale! and whenever there's a runny egg in town be sure that there's a piece of bread around to sop up all its runny, yellow yolk goodness! enter: socca. essentially a flatbread, and super easy to make, plus, you can add virtually any spice or herb to it and make it to your liking. some of my favorite additions include: tons of garlic and herbs, za'atar, and smoked paprika!

green shakshuka w/ smoky socca

serves 2

ingredients

8 medium tomatillos (~1 pound), trimmed and cut in half
5 large lacinto kale leaves, ribs removed
1 cup cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed (i added some seeds for spice)
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 large free range eggs
olive oil, for sauteing

smoky socca

1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

directions

make the socca

in a medium bowl, whisk the garbanzo bean flour, salt and smoked paprika. add the warm water while whisking. add 2 tablespoons olive oil and minced garlic, whisk to combine. cover mixture with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour - or up to 12 hours
place a 12" cast iron skillet (or oven safe baking dish of same size) in oven and preheat to 450°
once heated, remove from oven and add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan; swirl to cover the surface and edges. give the socca batter one more whisk and add to hot skillet, return to oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes. turn oven to broil and bake until edges and top of socca bread are lightly browned and crisp - about 3-5 minutes
carefully transfer the bread to a large plate or pizza pan and cut into wedges. serve hot

make the shakshuka

combine halved tomatillos, kale, 3/4 cup cilantro, cumin and salt in a food processor, and pulse until contents are blended. set aside
heat a 10" skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onions until soft and translucent - about 3 minutes. add the garlic and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant - about 2 minutes. add the tomatillo mixture and bring sauce to a light simmer. cook over medium-low heat for about 12-15 minutes, until half the liquid has cooked off
make divots in the sauce for the eggs. one at a time, crack the eggs into a small bowl and gently transfer to the green sauce. repeat with remaining eggs. cook eggs until whites have set (i generally use a cover to speed this process up) about 6-8 minutes.
garnish with leftover cilantro and serve with the socca...enjoy!