Fainá Chickpea Flour Pancake Recipes

SOCCA (FARINATA)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450. Put a well-seasoned or nonstick 12-inch pizza pan or cast-iron skillet in oven. (If you have a socca pan, obviously that will work well also.)
• Put the chickpea flour in a bowl; add the salt and pepper. Slowly add 1 cup lukewarm water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and let sit while the oven heats, or for as long as 12 hours. The batter should be about the consistency of heavy cream.
• Remove the pan, pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into it and swirl. Add the onions return the pan to the oven and cook, stirring once or twice, until they're well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the rosemary. Stir the onions and rosemary into the batter, then immediately pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pancake is firm and the edges set.
• Heat the broiler and brush the top of the pancake with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil if it looks dry. Set the pancake a few inches away from the broiler, and cook just long enough to brown it in spots. Cut it into wedges, and serve hot or warm.

CHICKPEA FLOUR PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, baking powder, sugar until well combined, and no lumps show.
• Whisk in unsweetened almond milk until smooth. Note that chickpea flour makes lumps easily. To avoid that, whisk vigorously until no more is left. It's OK to have a few lumps, but the less, the better it tastes! You can also blend the batter in a blender for an ultra-smooth texture.
• Warm a non-stick crepe pan or non-stick pancake griddle under medium heat. Slightly grease the pan with vegetable oil, about 1/2 teaspoon. I suggest rubbing a piece of oiled absorbent paper on the pan to avoid too much oil. Adding too much oil will fry your pancakes, and it is not what you want.
• Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of batter per pancake, depending on the size you like.
• Cook 2-3 minutes on one side or until the sides are half set, bubbles form in the center, and it is easy to flip without breaking.
• Slide a spatula under the pancake and flip over. Cook 1 more minute on the other side or until the center is set and the pancake is fluffy.
• Cool on a rack and repeat until no more batter left. You should be able to make 8 medium size pancakes from this batter.
• Serve immediately with maple syrup, banana slices, and fresh blueberries.

LIGURIAN CHICKPEA PANCAKE (FARINATA)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Put the water in a bowl. Use a whisk to beat the chickpea flour into the water, stirring briskly to keep lumps from forming.
• Whisk in a healthy pinch of salt too, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 4 hours in a warm but not hot place.
• When the time is up, preheat your oven to 440 F / 220 C. Use a slotted spoon to remove the foam that will have formed on the surface of the batter, and then mix in half of the oil, using the other half to oil your pans.
• Pour the batter into the pans-it should be between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick or 5 and 10 millimeters.
• Bake the farinata for 20 minutes, until it has firmed up and become golden. Slice it up and serve it hot, with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

FAINá (CHICKPEA FLOUR PANCAKE)

Steps:

• Double-mill the dried chickpeas, once very coarse and a second time fine. You can also use store bought chickpea flour.
• Mix in the water and the optional sourdough starter. Cover and let the batter sit a minimum of 2 hours and ideally overnight.
• For a not-sour pancake, don't add the sourdough starter and limit the rest time to 12 hours. For a mildly sour/fermented pancake, add the sourdough starter but refrigerate the batter overnight, or skip the sourdough starter and rest the batter for about 24 hours. For a very sour pancake, add the sourdough starter and leave the batter at room temperature overnight, or skip the sourdough starter and leave the batter at room temperature for 3-4 days.
• After the rest, add the salt and pepper to the batter and mix thoroughly.
• Preheat your oven to 450F, with one shelf below the middle and another shelf higher than the middle of your oven.
• Put the olive oil into a cold 10-inch skillet, cast iron or stainless steel, and heat it on the stove. Don't let the oil get to the point of smoking. I have an infrared thermometer and found 360F worked well.
• Add the batter to the skillet and let it cook until the edges curl in a bit, 1-3 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the skillet to the lower shelf of your hot oven.
• Bake for about 25 minutes (10 minutes on the lower shelf and another 10-15 minutes on the higher shelf).
• Use a metal spatula to separate the fainá from the base of the skillet; then leave it in the skillet to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board and serve. Fainá reheats well in a toaster oven or on a fry pan, but is also tasty cold.

CRISPY CHICKPEA PANCAKES WITH ROASTED MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Make the pancake batter: Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl and gradually whisk in the chickpea flour in small amounts to avoid lumps. Add the salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons oil, and whisk again until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it's too thick, whisk in more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the batter is lumpy, use an immersion blender or blender to get it nice and smooth. Set the batter aside at room temperature for about 2 hours.
• Make the topping: Position racks near the top and bottom of the oven, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Roughly chop or tear the mushrooms and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and the kosher salt on a sheet pan. Spread the mushrooms in an even layer and roast on the top rack for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned, mixing the mushrooms midway so they cook evenly.
• Meanwhile, make the pancakes: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an 8- or 9-inch frying pan with an ovenproof handle over medium. When the oil is hot, swirl it to evenly coat the bottom of the pan and pour in half the chickpea batter. It should be about ¼ inch deep. When the bottom is set, after about 1 minute, slide the pan onto the lower oven rack and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and crisp, but the center is still tender. Use a spatula to release the edges and slide it onto a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the remaining batter.
• Tear the radicchio leaves into bite-size pieces, then add to the sheet pan of slightly cooled mushrooms along with the vinegar and remaining tablespoon oil. Season with the flaky salt and black pepper, and mix well. Cut the pancakes into squares, transfer to serving plates, top with the mushroom mix and eat while still warm.

SAVORY CHICKPEA FLOUR PANCAKES

Steps:

• Place chickpea flour in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup water and stir to make a smooth batter. Add salt, cayenne, onion, ginger, tomato, chiles, garlic and cilantro. Mix well and set aside por 15 minutes.
• Place 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a skillet(preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Stir once and place about 1/3 cup batter into center of skillet. Tilt pan to spread( as if making a crepe). Cover and cook for three minutes. Turn over and cook, uncovered, for one more minute; it should be golden. repeat with remaining batter, stirring before using.
• Serve hot with chutney.