Socca with Grilled Roots and Golden Hummus
As November sets in I have found myself in need of a good pick me up. It seems as though we completely skipped nice fall weather and went straight into the crappyness of November. I mean, I can’t really complain too much about the weather because we were definitely spoiled with excessively warm days throughout September and October.My gap year is finally taking shape. I started working at the local bakery a few weeks ago, I’ve registered to take grade 12 biology online, and I’m taking on a position with the local outreach. I’ve definitely been keeping busy! I apologize if I’ve been neglecting the blog a little, I’ve just been swamped with work. Yesterday I worked a full day at the bakery (7:15am-4:15pm). Most people would probably complain about having to be at work so early, but to be honest I don’t really mind at all. I’ve always been a morning person, I find that my days are way more productive when I get up early. The bakery is so nice in the early morning before opening because all the baked goods are just coming out of the oven and smell so amazing! Also, I really like all the people that I work with, so it’s been a pretty good experience thus far.
The other day I was trying to come up with something good to share with you all and then I thought, why not a socca recipe? For those of you who are not familiar with socca it is essentially a savoury pancake to put it simply. It’s also known by the name Farinata and is a traditional Italian food. Socca is really great because it can be paired with so many other foods. I love to spread hummus on my socca or mash a bit of ripe avocado on there and top it with some seasonal veg.
For this recipe I mixed some of my favourite food items and flavours to create this dish. I find that adding za’atar spice blend to the roasted roots makes for a really nice flavour. Za’atar is super easy to make at home and only takes a handful of ingredients. If you don’t have za’atar you can google a recipe and whip some up to keep on hand in your kitchen. The soccas can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days if they are well wrapped.
xx
Ashley
Ingredients
For the Socca
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 3 1/2 cups warm water
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- sea slat + fresh pepper, to taste
- 2 avocados, sliced
- a few handfuls sprouts of choice
Roasted Roots
- 6 carrots, halved lengthwise
- 1 bunch radishes, halved and leaves removed
- 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red grapes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon za'atar
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Golden Hummus
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 5 cloves roasted garlic
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- fresh black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Additional Topping Options
- Nutritional yeast
- Hemp Seeds
- Za'atar
Instructions
For the Socca
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk the chickpea flour, warm water, oil and salt + pepper. Cover and leave to sit for at least an hour. I like to make the socca batter in the morning or the night before I'm planning on using it.
- When you are ready to cook the socca, heat a 8 inch frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease it with an oil of your choosing. I use a crêpe pan for my socca, but a regular frying pan will work.
- Add approximately half a cup of batter to the pan and give it a good whirl until it is evenly spread out. Cook the socca until it comes away easily from the pan. This can take anywhere between 5-8 minutes. Gently flip the socca and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
For the Roasted Roots
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment. Prepare the vegetable by washing, removing the leaves and slicing them in half. Transfer the veg to your prepared baking tray. Leave the tomatoes and grapes whole.
- Pour the oil over the vegetables and grapes along with the za'atar, salt and pepper then give them a good toss. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
For the Golden Hummus
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Cut the top off of a bulb of garlic so all the cloves are showing. Rub the bulb with some oil, then roast on a baking sheet in the oven for about 15 min or until the cloves are soft and can be easily squeezed out of their skin.
- Combine all the hummus ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth, taste, then adjust flavours to your liking. You will have extra hummus left over (yay!).
Assembling the Socca
- To assemble the socca, spread with hummus, top with the roasted veg, some sliced avocado and a handful of sprouts. I like to put all the ingredients out on the table and let people create their own socca masterpieces.
