Never mind that I had never even heard of socca before, despite having spent quality time in the area where it originates. How did I miss this on the streets of Nice, given that its scent while cooking is like melted butter wafting through the air. My oldest daughter described it as the smell of "that unhealthy popcorn that comes in a box at the movies and has fake orange stuff on it but tastes really really good!" - a major compliment. (Clearly, she has picked up my sometime ambivalence about eating healthy, natural food vs. food that has been engineered to appeal to our most basic tastebuds...if you don't believe me just put a peanut butter snickers in front of me and see how long it lasts.)
Our whole family loved socca from the start. We loved it hot and crispy out of the oven. We loved it soft and slightly chewy after it had cooled. We loved it the next day reheated in the toaster oven and even in the microwave. It was good dipped into garlicky yogurt (Greek tzatziki), it was great dipped into salsa, and it was an excellent wrapper for tabbouleh. The taste is like the most delicious buttered corn tortilla fresh off the griddle, but with more protein and no need to use a tortilla press.
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| Socca - doesn't look like much but is highly, highly yum. |
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| Guess who got the last piece! |
If you're still not motivated enough to try making it yourself, just consider how simple the ingredients are: chickpea flour, salt, water, olive oil. All you need is a whisk and a round cake pan. So go ahead, check out the website I mentioned above and give it a try (sorry for no direct link to the page, but I'm trying to clean up a spam issue on the blog - way too many visitors coming from an adult dating site in Russia!). Anyway, you can make a few socca, refrigerate the batter, and make some more another day. Or make a bunch at once and keep them in the fridge for later in the week. Oh, and if you're wondering where the heck to buy chickpea flour, Bob's Red Mill may have it alongside their other specialty flours at the grocery store. But chickpea flour is sure to be even cheaper at Indian food stores, where it's called besan. It stays fresh for a looooong time in the pantry, if my experience is anything to go on.
On the other hand, if you absolutely cannot force yourself to remain in the hot kitchen long enough to cook a batch of socca (and believe me, I understand), here are two lovely cold grain salads that might appeal. One is a tabbouleh recipe from Ina Garten (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tabbouleh-recipe/index.html). It makes a lot so I usually cut it in half or plan to serve it to a crowd. Love that she includes mint and cucumber - they really brighten up what can otherwise be a dense salad.
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| Tzatziki, tabbouleh, socca - I think we pretty much covered the Mediterranean on this plate. |
The other salad involves quinoa and edamame beans. Quinoa is that high-protein Aztec grain from Peru that became trendy a couple years ago. When cooked, white quinoa always reminds me of embryos but I try not to think about it too much. This salad is loosely based on a popular deli item we have at the store. It's interesting: our customers may be fairly well-heeled and I would presume, well-educated, but obviously no one has ever dared tell them how to say quinoa properly - (keen-wah). I do my best to clear up the matter without making anybody feel embarrassed. They seem to be grateful and order it by the pound.
The way I make this salad is to cook the quinoa early in the morning while I'm making breakfast, then it goes into the fridge until evening. Five minutes to steam the edamame, a quick whisk of the dressing, and a few downstrokes of the knife pulled over whatever greens, herbs and flowers I've harvested from the garden. Voila!
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| Quinoa and Edamame Salad with nasturtiums, chard, basil |
- 1 cup quinoa, well-rinsed in a sieve
- 2 cups water
Bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa and turn down to simmer with the lid on. Cook 13 minutes, then dump the cooked grains into a covered glass dish and refrigerate.
- 1cup frozen edamame (green soybeans)
Optional add-ins, as you like:
- a few large chard or lacinato kale or spinach leaves
- a few green or purple basil leaves or watercress or cilantro
- nasturtium flowers
Dressing:
- 1 lime, juiced
- however much lime juice you get, the equivalent amount of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
- fresh ground pepper, or red chili flakes
Happy Eating! Socca! (I just love saying it. I think it's going to be my new "Cheers!" when we toast.)
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| Gratuitious picture of the big birthday girl! (yes, we had to use matches for candles this time - not recommended) |
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