And so through this blog I recently found myself breaking bread with old friends and new. The recipe for this delicious chickpea flour skillet bread, called farinata, is from Elin England, author of Eating Close to Home. Elin is working on a new book with recipes for beans, grains, seeds, and nuts, entitled "The Fourth Cornerstone." I encourage you to make this flatbread a new cornerstone of your repertoire to accompany the summer's bounty of vegetables. Happy summer solstice.
Farinata
adapted from a recipe from Elin England
1 cup garbanzo bean flour (available from Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup lukewarm water
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil for the batter, and more for the pan
½ large onion, sliced thinly (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Whisk together the garbanzo bean flour, water, salt and 2
Tbsp olive oil. The batter should
be about the consistency of a thin pancake batter; add more water if necessary. If possible, let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes, or
longer.
3. If using the onion, sauté the slices with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt in a heavy frying pan over
medium heat until soft and caramelized. Set aside.
4. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a 10-12 inch
cast iron pan and swirl to coat.
Place it in the oven and heat for 5-10 minutes until very hot. Carefully remove from the oven and add
a scant cup of batter. Scatter a
bit of the onion and the rosemary or sage over the top if you are using them, and return to the
oven. Bake 12-15 minutes until the
farinata begins to set. Now turn
the broiler on and broil for an additional 5 minutes or so until the top is
golden brown and the sides look like they are getting crispy.
5. Remove to a cutting board, and make a second farinata in
the same manner.
Let the farinata rest for a few minutes before cutting into
wedges or squares.
For a thinner, crispier farinata, use a bigger pan with less
batter (1/4 inch deep). You can
cook it longer too. For a creamier
farinata, more like polenta, pour in enough batter so that it is ½ inch deep
and/or use a slightly smaller diameter skillet.
You can top your farinata with cooked pancetta, chopped
olives, thinly sliced and sauted vegetables, crumbled cheese or whatever suits
your fancy.
Leftover farinata is good cut into chunks and tossed with
salad.
2 comments:
Thanks so much for continually updating the blog and for supporting some good people (our local producers). I work with, or know, everyone you mention so I check in weekly to see what delish dinner ideas I can steal!
Thanks so much!
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