A Get-in-my-belly Authentic Ligurian Pancake: FARINATA
Magical crispy chickpea flatbread: naturally gluten-free and vegan
Biting into farinata always reminds me of a french fry…only better. The crunchy golden-browned exterior yields to a dense, creamy, savory center. It’s somewhat magical that this oven-roasted pancake is simultaneously so rustically tasty while packed with protein AND made with just 4 ingredients: chickpea flour, water, salt and extra-virgin olive oil.
Is it a pasta? Well yes. It’s made with pasta. In Italian, pasta means ‘flour mixed with salt and water’. Farinata is made with chickpea flour.
I’ve baked farinata many times at home and often pick it up at local bakeries for an easy lunch. I’m a big fan. But as Laurel Evans, author of Liguria, The Cookbook says, “the devil is in the details” when making it at home. Luckily, the details are easy to follow. My homemade attempts have always been good, but her foolproof recipe took them from buona (good) to buonissima (delicious). Laurel’s recipe makes the best homeade farinata I’ve ever had. Plus, with just 5 minutes of prep a few hours in advance, you can make it in just 30 minutes.
This means:
prep it the night before to bake it in the morning for breakast or lunch
- or -
prep it in the morning to bake it for an afternoon snack or light dinner
On a bright sunny Sunday morning after letting the farinata mixture rest while I slept, I followed her recipe to the letter. I pre-heated the olive oil and preheated the pan - and ate hot, crispy farinata for breakfast. And lunch. And a snack later. It had that irresistible crunchy perfectly-salted thing going. Laurel is generously letting me share her recipe with you today. Thank you, Laurel! (And you’ll be thanking her too, once you try it!)
If you’re enjoying this, please drop me a heart just below on the left. And let me know if you’ve tried farinata and loved it like I do in the comments!
Farinata
Chickpea Flatbread
reprinted with permission from Laurel Evans, Liguria: the Cookbook
Makes one 11 - 17-inch tray of farinata
2 cups (7-ounces) chickpea flour
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil, good quality
While it’s often described as a “chickpea pancake” or “tart”, neither of those terms adequately describes the texture and consistency of this popular and ancient Ligurian street food. When made correctly, it should be thinner than a pancake, with a with a crisp, flakey exterior and a soft, almost custardy center. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, the recipe appears deceptively simple thanks to its short ingredient list: water, chickpea flour, salt and oil. Don’t be fooled; the devil is in the details when it comes to making farinata. It’s traditionally cooked in a piping-hot, wood-fired oven in wide, round copper pans, so adapting the recipe to a home kitchen required some tweaking. The exact proportions of water to flour are fundamental here, as is the long rest time and, most of all, the thickness of the batter in the pan, which should never exceed 1/4 of inch (6 millimeters). Therefore, it is not advised to double the recipe or use a different size pan than the one indicated here.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Pour the chickpea flour into a large bowl and toss with a fork to loosen. Slowly add lukewarm water, a little at a time, whisking until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest a room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. Every 2 hours stir the mixture and skim the surface to remove any foam that forms on top. (Note from Lolly: I only skimmed once immediately after stirring, then went to bed!)
2) Place an oven rack in the lowest position and one in the highest position and preheat to 500-degrees F. Please a rectangular 11-by-17-inch sheet pan or jelly roll pan on either rack in the oven while it preheats.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Do not let come to a simmer; it should be hot but not smoking.
4) Remove the pan from the oven very carefully. Add the salt to the farinata batter and stir to combine. Slowly pour the warm olive oil directly into the pan, swirling to coat. Pour the batter swiftly into the center of the pan. (Note: Laurel’s recipe says to let the plan cool until it is warm to the touch but not scalding, but I added the farinata to the pan immediately. Be careful to avoid splashing of the oil.) Bake the bottom rack of oven for 20 minutes, or until farinata is light golden. If your oven permits, you ay also bake it directly on the floor of the oven for this step.
Turn on the broiler to high and move the farinata to the rop rack. Broil. watching closely, until a light brown crust forms on the surface, 2 to 4 minutes. (Note from Lolly: pay attention here! It seems my broiler heats directly from the fire of hell, so 30-seconds was enough.)
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Cut into 12 rectangles and serve hot.
Grazie a Laurel e buon appetito!
Serving tips from Lolly:
Serve with freshly ground pepper
Great for a picnic!
Lovely lunch to pack for the office with a salad
Or light dinner at home
x Lolly
Must try this. It reminds me of panelle in Palermo although that includes parsley and a few more bits. Fried bread is always a wonder, isn't it.
I read your recipe and am unclear why you heat the pan in the oven and then let it cool. Best is to take the hot pan out of the oven and quickly and carefully add 2 tablespoons of olive oil swirling to coat the pan. Then add some batter and bake. This ensures a nice Crispy bottom.