Tomato & Onion Socca

Chickpea flatbread with yellow heirloom tomato + onion

A classic of Provençal cuisine, socca is made with chickpea flour and is a traditional dish that happens to be gluten-free.

¾ c. chickpea flour
¾ t. salt
¼ t. garlic powder
⅛ t. cayenne
⅛ t. cumin
⅔ c. hot water
2 t. olive oil

1 t. grapeseed oil
½ onion, thinly sliced or 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 heirloom tomato, cut in half and sliced ½ cm. thick

10 inch cast iron skillet

Reposition the top rack in the oven to the highest position. Turn the broiler on to “high.”

Combine chickpea flour, salt and spices in a small mixing bowl. Add water + oil and mix with a fork until uniform.

Heat skillet over medium heat on stovetop. Add grapeseed oil. Once oil spreads, add onion slices. Stir to coat with oil, then cook onions about 10 minutes. Stir as needed to keep onions from browning. When the onions are thoroughly translucent and starting to brown, remove from pan and reserve. Any oil remaining in the pan will add flavor.

Turn the burner up to medium-high heat. When oil begins to ripple, add chickpea batter to center of the skillet. Work quickly to spread the batter in an even layer across the skillet. Sprinkle reserved onions over the batter, then arrange tomato slices in a single layer. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place skillet directly under broiler.

Set a timer for 7 minutes. The chickpea batter needs to cook while the tomatoes and onions brown. Rotate pan to ensure even browning and cook another 3-5  minutes. Remove from oven. Use a wide flat spatula to transfer the socca to a cutting board. (Don’t forget that the skillet handle will be extremely hot!) Cut the socca into four pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a grind of black pepper. Serve with a simple salad. 

Cooking at a lower temperature helps the onions cook evenly. Ultimately the charred bits of onion will be delicious, but at the skillet stage, we want the onions to cook through before developing much color. They’ll cook again under the broiler, so we don’t want them to disappear in the pan. Don’t stir more than needed and don’t salt the onions while they cook.

Socca with marinated cherry tomatoes, onions + pea tendrils