Chickpea Socca with Smokey Eggplant Tapenade and Wilted Spinach

Socca is a gluten-free flatbread beloved as a traditional street food from Nice, France. Made with chickpea flour and olive oil, socca is a cross between a rustic flatbread and a pancake, with a crispy exterior and soft interior. In this recipe, the chickpea socca is served with a smoky eggplant tapenade and wilted spinach. This rustic street food makes a delicious plant-forward shared appetizer. Find the recipe and printable recipe PDF below! 

 
 

Yield: 8 portions

Method

  1. For the Tapenade: Rinse the olives, anchovies, and capers in cold water to remove excess salt.  Pat dry.

  2. In a food processor or blender, combine olives, anchovies, capers, lemons juice, parsley, and pepper and blend until pasty. With the machine on, pour in just enough olive oil in a steady stream to obtain a smooth thick sauce.  Allow flavors to meld at least 1 hour.

  3. Char the eggplant over an open flame turning often until it collapses, about 20 minutes.

  4. Place in a colander over a bowl to drain and cool.  Scoop the soft flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork and knife into small chunks.

  5. Combine the tapenade and the eggplant together and season if desired. Set aside.

  6. For the Socca: Combine all the ingredients for the batter and whisk together. Set aside for 20 minutes.

  7. Heat an 8-inch cast iron pan in a 450 degree oven until hot.

  8. Add the ½ tablespoon of remaining olive oil to coat the pan.

  9. Pour ¼ of the Socca batter into the pan all at once and place into the oven for 8 minutes until the batter has cooked through.

  10. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the Socca out onto a cutting board to cool.  Repeat 3 more times with remaining olive oil and batter. Cut each Socca into 6 wedges.

  11. Place baby spinach into a bowl.

  12. Heat a small saute pan with the remaining olive oil on low heat and add the minced pancetta.  When it is almost rendered crispy, add the garlic and chickpeas.

  13. When the garlic starts to brown add ½ of the balsamic vinegar to the pan and pour the contents of the pan over the spinach and cover with the lid to steam it for 2-3 minutes.  Remove the lid, toss the spinach mixture, incorporating it all together.   

  14. To plate, fan 3 of the socca wedges on a plate, topped with tapenade and drape with the spinach.

  15. Drizzle olive oil, honey, remaining balsamic vinegar and black pepper on the plate.

Ingredients

Tapenade

1 ¼ cup kalamata black olives, pitted             

4 ea. anchovy fillets                                           

¼ cup capers                                                       

2 Tbsp. lemon juice                                                

Ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped           

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, fruity                      

2 Tbsp. lemon juice                                                

1 ea. (approx. 1 lb.) Globe eggplant

 

Socca

2 cups chickpea flour                                           

¼  cup olive oil (plus 2 Tbsp. for cooking)

2 cups water, warm                                              

1 tsp. salt                                                             

1 Tbsp. rosemary, minced                                     

 

1 lb. baby spinach                                              

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil                                 

½ cup pancetta, minced                                       

4 ea. garlic cloves, smashed                              

1 cup chickpeas, cooked, slightly crushed         

¼ cup balsamic vinegar                                       

 

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil                                 

¼ cup honey, warm                                            

1 tsp. ground black pepper                

 

This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.