The first time I experienced socca bread was during my first visit to Tuscany. It was July. I was visiting the family of my boyfriend at the time and we had spent a warm summer day touring his home town of Massa Carrara. That time in the afternoon where one builds up an appetite and could use a good snack and something cold to drink crept up. He steered us to a hole-in-the-wall eatery that baked calda-calda. This, I quickly came to learn, was a chickpea flatbread cooked on a hot oiled pan in a pizza-style brick oven. I sat at that little sidewalk cafe table nestled in an alleyway as pleased as could be. As someone who adores garbanzos (and is known to eat them with a spoon, topped with a little sea salt, straight from the can) this simple, honest nibble was a revelation that I would not forget.

This memory stayed with me fondly which is why it is strange that I never tried to replicate the recipe at home. That finally changed earlier this year when I found myself on a pretty intense elimination diet to address some gut and skin issues I was having which resulted in me going 100% gluten free for the first six months of 2020. There was a point where I wasn’t eating any grains or legumes but once the legumes were allowed again I stumbled on socca bread and began making it regularly.

The real difference between calda-calda and socca is geography. Though the ingredients are generally the same, socca comes from Nice, France and is often enjoyed as an appetizer with a glass of crisp rosé.

RECIPE

1 cup water

1 cup chickpea flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

large pinch of sea salt

Mix ingredients well. The batter should be smooth and fluid - like pancake batter. Let the batter sit and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. I have even left it out (covered) overnight and think some of the best socca I’ve made comes from batter with a nice long rest.

Oil a cast iron pan with enough olive oil so that the entire surface of the pan is thinly coated. Place pan in oven and heat to 450*.

Once the oven comes to temp, carefully remove the hot pan, gently pour in the batter. Place it back into the over for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are looking nice and crisp and browned.

Occasionally I add fresh herbs, sprinkling them on top of the freshly poured batter before I place it in the oven. I once used thinly sliced fennel or tomatoes to try something new. Be mindful of the depth and width of your cast iron pan, you do not want to pour the batter too thick. This will result in a soft, soggy under cooked center.

When the socca is hot out of the oven sprinkle with olive oil, flaky salt and black pepper.

I enjoy having socca at breakfast with eggs or for an afternoon snack served with charcuterie, cheese and olives. It also is wonderful either drizzled with or served along side of a robust olive oil.