socca…socca…socca! No, I not watching the World Cup games though I did enjoy a game or two of soccer back in the good old days when I actually had lungs. But I digress…
socca, socca, socca…That’s what the socca vendors in Nice, Provence would call out when wheeling their carts about selling their wares. And that’s what I’ve been yelling about the house these days…P thinks I have finally lost my marbles 
Thanks to a good friend, N, I had my first taste of Socca -alas, not in Nice- but in Berkeley at Socca Oven located in the new Epicurious Garden on Shattuck Avenue. Socca’s are pancakes made of chickpea (aka garbanzo bean or gram) flour, water and extra virgin olive oil. At SO they finish the soccas in an open flame clay oven with various toppings – sort of like pizza but not. N & I had tapenade and salt cod – a bit salty but I am a salt fiend. P had the zucchini and loved it. I was hooked and am now a socca addict – we’ve had them for dinner twice now.
In my research I found that these are traditionally made in copper tins – large ones, from 50-70 cm in diameter. Since my oven wasn’t that big, I opted for my 10 inch cast iron fry pan. At SO they were made a little less than a 1/4 inch thick but the thickness varies from that to as thin as a crepe. Seems that in France these are eaten plain with a glass of wine rather than topped as made at Socca Oven. I’m thinking these would be a nice appetizer in either case.
We liked ours thick but maybe slightly thinner than we had at SO. I’ve varied the toppings depending on what we had on hand. We had plenty of greens in the garden so one night we had sauteed kale and the other swiss chard. One version had roasted onions and garlic with goat cheese and anchovies. A veggie version had home grown baby zucchini.
I bet an Indian spiced version would be fun. In fact, in the western part of India there is a savory steamed chickpea ‘cake’ called Dhokla. One day I will have to try my hand at making some dhoklas.
Soccas are a great food – a nice gluten free alternative to the wheat flour crusted pizzas. And you’ve got fiber – the soluble type which is good for lowering cholesterol; protein which we all need for building bone, muscle and cartilage; folate which is good for the heart; magnesium which is needed to help relax your muscles; and many trace minerals. One trace mineral it is especially high in is molybdenum which interestingly enough helps the body detoxify sulfites which is found in some wines. Those French know how to eat and drink!
Here’s the recipe I used for the Socca pancakes.
Socca
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 cups chickpea flour
2 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
extra virgin olive oil for cooking the pancake
Toppings of your choice – some ideas: caramelized onions, roasted garlic, sauteed greens (kale, chard, spinach), olive tapenade, sundried tomatoes, any herb pesto, any roasted veggie, smoked salmon, salt cod, anchovies, any cheese, etc…
Whisk together all ingredients so there are no lumps. You can strain through a sieve or china cap if desired. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat broiler to high or oven to 500F. Heat a 10 inch cast iron pan over medium heat until hot. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Pour about 3/4 cup of batter into pan. Cook until bottom is turning brown – this should take at least 3-4 minutes so turn up or down the heat as needed. Flip and cook until cooked through and brown. Transfer to baking sheet. Cook remaining pancakes – you should have enough batter for four.
Arrange your toppings on to the pancakes. Put under the broiler or in hot oven for a few minutes or until the toppings are heated through. Serve hot with a nice green salad.
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ENJOY!
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14 Responses
June 12th, 2006 at 5:11 pm
When making traditional socca I just top them with a bit of rosemary and parmesean. Sort of like mega bruschetta.
I also make an Indian sort-of version of this called a chilla that has tomato, ginger, turmeric and cayenne powder mixed into the batter.
Both are yummy!
thanks for the ideas
I will definitely try these out!
Cheers!
Sandy
June 26th, 2006 at 5:58 am
Excellent socca post. I just made my first one this morning, and I’m hooked through the nose. Or something.
Now, next up if you haven’t tried it yet is okonomiyaki, sort of like a Japanese version of this but not really…
http://vegetarianduck.blogspot.com/2006/06/okonomiyaki.html
check it out!
June 27th, 2006 at 5:39 am
Hi Mark,
That Japanese pancake looks great! Reminds me of the Korean pancakes – love those – especially with seafood.
Sandy
July 20th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Can you give me an English word that rhymes with socca? How do you pronounce this wonderful food? Many thanks, Janis
July 20th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Hi Janis, Socca rhymes with “Boca” as in Boca Raton. Also sort of sounds like “polka” leaving out the soft “L”
Cheers! Sandy
July 23rd, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Hi Sandy! There actually is an Indian version of socca. It’s from Gujarat and it’s called pudla (maybe it’s called chilla elsewhere?). There’s a recipe for it in Madhur Jaffrey’s Flavors of India book where she flavors the chickpea batter (similar to yours, minus the oil) with a touch of ajwain seeds and cayenne, and lots of minced onion, ginger, garlic and coriander.
July 23rd, 2006 at 7:53 pm
Hi Brett, Thanks for the heads up. I just took a peek at Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian and she has a whole section on chick pea pancakes including pudla! I should learn to use my cookbooks rather than surfing the internet
January 8th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
great blog…
…
March 5th, 2007 at 11:51 am
on+line+casino+gaming…
…
July 29th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Hi Sandy,
Do you know where we can taste Socca in the US?
Thanks
Laura
August 1st, 2007 at 10:59 am
Hi Laura,
I am sure there are many places in the US – look at french, italian or indian restaurants. Sometimes if you google ’socca’ along with your city, a restaurant’s menu may pop up.
Sandy
December 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Hey Sandy,
Ever tried substituting broth for the water? Either way it sounds great!
Julie
May 31st, 2009 at 4:55 am
I am on the South Beach diet and was wondering if Socca food would fit in with the phase I part of the diet.
would be wonderful if it would!
May 31st, 2009 at 8:01 am
Hello Bubbles,
There is approx 145 grams of carbs in the batter portion of the whole recipe. Probably not good for phase 1 – maybe phase 2?
Sandy
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