Socca Pizza Inspired by the Cuisine of Nice, France
Socca Pizza Base
Socca is a traditional Niçoise street food made with chickpea flour and cooked in a very hot cast iron pan. In Italy, it is called farinata. Not quite a pancake, not exactly a crepe, socca is socca. If you love socca it is one of those flavours that will transport you back to the French Riviera, if only while the pizza lasts…
Jackie is a fan of socca, a dish she discovered in the 1990s while in Nice. The gluten-free chickpea flour has a slightly nutty flavour. She has been experimenting with the socca recipe for a while now and has perfected the ingredients to create a savoury and delicious pizza. The recipe follows.
Socca pizza base
Ingredients
- 200 g (7oz) Chickpea flour
- 50 g (2oz) Comté cheese grated
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- a pinch of Salt
- 100 ml (6 tbsp) olive oil
- 400 ml (1 3/4 cups) Water
- Extra olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Sieve the chickpea flour into a bowl and pour in the olive oil and water.
- Whisk the mixture to form a batter then add the remaining ingredients. Stir to incorporate everything.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the frying pan on a high heat and when the oil is hot, add a ladle of the batter and tip the pan to ensure the batter covers the base completely.
- Leave the batter to fry for a couple of minutes until the edges start to look browned and crispy.
- Turn the pizza over and cook for a further two minutes.
- Turn again to make sure the bottom side is nicely browned.
- Move the pizza to a baking tray and add your toppings. (See notes)
- Bake in a 375F oven for a few minutes until your cheese melts.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Very fine asparagus & red onion (griddled in advance to soften) with grated comté
- Sundried tomato tapenade with sundried tomatoes and scamorza (smoked mozzarella)
- Pesto with sliced, griddled courgettes and crumbled goat’s cheese
Traditional Foods from Nice
Ceviche Provencal Served with Socca – recipe from Cook’n with Class
Phoebe’s Guide to Top 8 must-try foods from Provence
Food and Walking tours of Nice in Italian and English – by Chiara
Salade Niçoise – A lovely collection of fresh potatoes, tomatoes, olives, beans, herbs, and tuna on a delightful bed of crisp green lettuce dressed with a light and tangy vinaigrette and anchovy filets.
And, for a sweet finish with Swiss Chard (blette) a recipe for La Tourte aux Blette Sucrée.
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2 Comments
There’s no better way to start a meal than with a few slices of socca and a glass of wine! I can’t have gluten so it’s a particular favorite of mine.
Hi Keith: I 100% agree socca and a glass of wine sounds delicious at any time!