Farinata di Ceci Recipe
This delicious savory Italian chickpea pancake, known as Farinata di Ceci has super crispy edges and a creamy center. It is super delicious, inexpensive, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. You can serve this Italian street food as a snack, appetizer, or side dish.
This delicious Italian common street food is a must-try recipe for all food lovers, including vegan, since it suits all types of diets!
It has a golden delicate crispy crust and custardy center. It can be easily customized with your favorite farinata toppings.
Italian Chickpea Pancake
This oven-baked traditional Italian Farinata di ceci recipe is a type of Italian chickpea pancake that is made with simple ingredients, chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt.
Other names for this farinata recipe are cecina, 5&5 panini, socca piemontese, faine sassarese, farinata italian, chickpea flatbread, faine socca, secina, chickpea farinata, italian farinata, torte di ceci, and farinata di ceci ricetta.
What is farinata?
Farinata, or “socca” in some regions, is a thin, savory pancake made from a batter of chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and seasonings. It’s popular in Italian and French cuisine, particularly in regions like Liguria and Tuscany in Italy and Nice in France. Seasoned with ingredients like rosemary, salt, and black pepper, it’s known for its crispy exterior and creamy interior. Farinata can be sliced into wedges and served with toppings like pesto, olives, or cheese. It’s a gluten-free dish, making it suitable for those with gluten sensitivities.
What to serve with farinata?
Serve farinata with toppings like pesto, olives, or caramelized onions. It also goes well with salads, cheese, roasted vegetables, or as part of an antipasto platter. Dipping sauces, soups, and seafood dishes are other great options to complement this dish.
Ingredient
- Chickpea flour. The main ingredients in the Farinata di ceci ricetta recipe that is made of ground dry chickpeas. Chickpea flour is gluten-free and a great source of vegan protein and fiber. You can find them online or in the gluten-free section of supermarkets. Ceci flour and gram flour are the other names for chickpea flour.
- Lukewarm water. To hydrate the chickpea flour. Tab water works too.
- Extra virgin olive oil. The essential ingredient to keep the batter moist and make it crispy and delicious. Adds a delicious flavor to it too.
- Salt. I used fine kosher salt. Taste the batter and adjust the amount to your preference.
- Garnish. Freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flake, and parsley. All to taste! Use other garnishes of your choice; e.g. rosemary, oregano, or thyme.
How to Make Farinata di Ceci
Follow along with my easy instructions to see how to make farinata di cici in your own kitchen!
Step1. Combine and let it sit. Place chickpea flour in a large bowl, add to it little by little the lukewarm water, and whisk continuously to form a smooth batter with no lumps. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight, the longer the better. This way the chickpea flour hydrates well and makes a custardy interior. Stir occasionally.
Step 2. Skim the foam. Use a spoon and skim as much foam as possible from the top of the batter. The foam is indigestible and burns fast in the oven.
Step 3. Add the salt and oil. Add in and whisk the salt and 3 tbsp. of olive oil and let the batter sit while heating up the oven and the cast iron skillet.
Step 4. Preheat the oven and skillet. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 °F. At the same time, place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to warm up nicely and evenly.
Step 5. Pour it in. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the smoking hot skillet and then pour the batter into the skillet using a back of a spoon. You will hear a nice sizzling sound.
Step 6. Bake it. Transfer the skillet gently to the oven and let it bake for about 2o minutes or till crispy and golden brown on top. Cut it into 8 pieces
Step 7. Serve it. Garnish it with freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flake, and parsley. Serve it hot or at room temperature and enjoy!
Tips
- Make ahead. You can make the batter 24 hrs at room temperature and to 3 days in the fridge in advance. Make sure to cover the bowl.
- Use a super hot oven and skillet. This will ensure a crispy result and keep the batter from sticking to the skillet.
- Greese the skillet. Make sure to grease the skillet well to keep the watery thin batter from sticking to it. Do not be shy with oil, otherwise, the Italian farinata pancake will be dry.
- Let the batter rest. Chickpea flour needs time to absorb water and hydrate. Let the batter sit for a minimum of 4 hours. And for the best result plan ahead and let it rest overnight and bake it the next day.
Substitutions and variations
- Use an immersion blender. A great way to smooth out the batter and shorten the sitting time.
- Customize the flavor. Farinata tastes amazingly plain. But you can easily customize its flavor to your liking. Use herbs: Rosemary, thyme, cilantro, parsley, dill, chiv, oregano, Italian seasonings, or za’atar. Use spices: Onion and garlic powder, cumin, curry, or paprika. Mix spices or herbs into the batter in step 3.
- Use vegetables. Slice the vegetables very thin or grate them and remove their excess water. e.g. sliced spinach, mushroom, or onion and grated zucchini or carrots. Mix them into the batter in Step 3 or arrange them over the batter in Step 5.
- Adjust baking time. If you are using a different size skillet, baking dish, or sheet pan, adjust the cooking time. The thinner the chickpea farinata flatbread, the faster it cooks.
- Use parchment paper. You can use well-greased parchment paper to keep the batter from sticking to the baking dish.
- Use it as a pizza crust. Add light toppings of your choice with cheese in step 5. Make sure not to overdo it.
- Add on protein. You can break eggs midway through baking over the batter and let them cook in the oven and serve it for brunch or breakfast. Be creative and add other types of proteins (e.e. ground beef or ground chicken) to the Torta di ceci dish. You can either mix them in or sprinkle them on top.
- Add nuts. Any chopped or ground nuts of your choice such as walnut or cashew are great options. You can either mix the ground/chopped nuts in the batter in step 3.
- Skip baking farinata. Alternatively, you can cook the farinata (Torta di ceci) on the stovetop and when is golden brown on the bottom transfer it to the oven to broil for a few minutes for the top to be golden brown.
Storage and reheat
Store the Farinata di ceci in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Warm it up in the microwave. Or freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the fridge the night before and then warm it in the microwave for a few seconds.
What to serve with chickpea farinata
- Serve Farinata di ceci on its own as a delicious healthy appetizer, or snack
- Serve farinata flatbread as an appetizer or snack with olives, pickles, sauerkraut, sausages, deli meat, or a dip like my delicious Mutabal recipe.
- Serve it as a side with sourdough tortillas, broccoli and cauliflower salad or carrot and cucumber salad.
This incredibly delicious and easy-to-make skilled baked socca recipe is an ultimate simple food made from scratch with only one main ingredient that is super affordable. It has a delicious crumply crispy texture to it that will please the entire family. I hope you make this homemade chickpea farinata very soon!
Let me know how you did it! I love to hear from you!
Please rate, comment, and share this Farinata di ceci ricetta recipe on Pinterest. Thank you!
FAQ
You can use a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or high-speed blender to grind the dry chickpeas into a very fine texture. Store them in an air-tight bag for up to 3 months.
Faritana means made of flour, is a type of baked pancake made of chickpea flour, olive oil, and salt. Farinata’s history dates back to the middle ages and originated and is commonly consumed in Genoa, Italy, and the Ligurian coast of Italy. Socca, cecina, faina, and torta di ceci are the other names for this thin chickpea flatbread.
Yes, the main ingredient in farinata recipe is chickpea flour which is packed with nutrients and is a great source of protein and fiber. Compared to wheat, it has fewer carbohydrates and low glycemic. Chickpea flour also has anti-inflammatory properties.
Farinata di Ceci Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chickpea flour
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 tsp. fine kosher salt or to taste
- Garnish. Freshly grounded black pepper red pepper flake, and parsley. All to taste!
Instructions
- Combine and let it sit. Place chickpea flour in a large bowl, add to it little by little the lukewarm water, and whisk continuously to form a smooth batter with no lumps. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight, the longer the better. This way the chickpea flour hydrates well and makes a custardy interior. Stir occasionally.
- Skim the foam. Use a spoon and skim as much foam as possible from the top of the batter.
- Add the salt and oil. Add in and whisk the salt and 3 tbsp. of olive oil and let the batter sit while heating up the oven and the cast iron skillet.
- Preheat the oven and skillet. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 °F. At the same time, place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to warm up nicely and evenly.
- Pour it in. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the smoking hot skillet and then pour the batter into the skillet using a back of a spoon. You will hear a nice sizzling sound.
- Bake it. Transfer the skillet gently to the oven and let it bake for about 2o minutes or till crispy and golden brown on top. Cut it into 8 pieces
- Serve it. Garnish it with freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flake, and parsley. Serve it hot or at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
- Make ahead. You can make the batter 24 hrs at room temperature and to 3 days in the fridge in advance. Make sure to cover the bowl.
- Use a super hot oven and skillet. This will ensure a crispy result and keep the batter from sticking to the skillet.
- Greese the skillet. Make sure to grease the skillet well to keep the watery thin batter from sticking to it. Do not be shy with oil, otherwise, the Italian farinata pancake will be dry.
- Let the batter rest. Chickpea flour needs time to absorb water and hydrate. Let the batter sit for a minimum of 4 hours. And for the best result plan ahead and let it rest overnight and bake it the next day.
- Use an immersion blender. A great way to smooth out the batter and shorten the sitting time.
- Customize the flavor. Farinata tastes amazingly plain. But you can easily customize its flavor to your liking. Use herbs: Rosemary, thyme, oregano, Italian seasonings, or za’atar. Use spices: Onion and garlic powder, cumin, curry, or paprika. Mix spices or herbs into the batter in step 3.
- Use vegetables. Slice the vegetables very thin or grate them and remove their excess water. e.g. sliced spinach, mushroom, or onion and grated zucchini or carrots. Mix them into the batter in Step 3 or arrange them over the batter in Step 5.
- Adjust baking time. If you are using a different size skillet, baking dish, or sheet pan, adjust the cooking time. The thinner the chickpea farinata flatbread, the faster it cooks.
- Use parchment paper. You can use well-greased parchment paper to keep the batter from sticking to the baking dish.
- Use it as a pizza crust. Add light toppings of your choice with cheese in step 5. Make sure not to overdo it.
- Add on protein. You can break eggs midway through baking over the batter and let them cook in the oven and serve it for brunch or breakfast. Be creative and add other types of proteins (e.e. ground beef or ground chicken) to the Torta di ceci dish. You can either mix them in or sprinkle them on top.
- Skip baking farinata. Alternatively, you can cook the farinata (Torta di ceci) on the stovetop, and when is golden brown on the bottom, transfer it to the oven to broil for a few minutes for the top to be golden brown.
- Serve Farinata di ceci on its own as a delicious healthy appetizer, or snack
- Serve farinata flatbread as an appetizer or snack with olives, pickles, sauerkraut, sausages, deli meat, and dippings.
- Serve it as a side with bread, salad, stew, or soup.
