Shut the front door.
I spy something savory!!
What. Shocking.
Good thing I balanced it out with those awesome fudgy brownie cookies I mentioned in the last post. But actually, this is delicious. AND savory. You must feel like a proud parent. Additionally, this flatbread is stupid easy. As in like, whizzbangboomLUNCH. Which is awesome because as we know I don’t really like waiting for my food. Which is why I am mostly too lazy to make yeasted breads even though they’re delicious and not entirely difficult. I’m just impatient. Sigh. Story of my life.
Anyway. Want to know what happens nearly every time I photograph something?
Actually, maybe you don’t.
But… too bad. I’m sharing anyway [my blog, ha]… Ready?
I drop my camera in my food.
For reals. Like a child. A clumsy one, at that. I swear, that camera has three years worth of blog food residue on it (EW GROSS I promise that isn’t true. I totally clean it off after I drop it. Like an adult. Ish.). But in the last few weeks it’s come into closer contact than I suppose it wishes with some really awesome guac, some flan (twice on the same photo shoot you ask?! Um yes. Welcome to my life), and most recently some cookies. No, I did NOT drop in in the flatbread. Ha. At least I am sort of winning at my own game… or not.
So anyway. Make some of this deliciousness. I’m pretty sure no one is entirely positive where this originated… some say Egypt, the French say France, and no doubt the Italians say Italy. I don’t much care, as long as I can eat it. Mine is a little thicker than the variety you can find in France, which is more like a crepe, but I like it heartier because then I can get creative with what goes on it. I’ve made it once before, Italian-style (here, disregard mildly awful photography), but this one is my new favorite.
Besides that, I made an awesome green sauce to go with it. It’s like pesto, but lighter. And greener. Because, obviously.
Mushroom and Rosemary Socca
Recipe inspired by Food 52, here! Serves 3, roughly, for an appetizer or a light lunch. Gluten free and vegan.
- 1 c chickpea flour
- 1 c water
- 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra [divided]
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ~1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- a good handful of white button mushrooms
- 1 chunk of frozen basil, or a few good sized leaves, chiffonaded
- a splash of good balsamic vinegar
- a glug of avocado oil (or other high heat oil)
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, water, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary. Set aside for about 30 minutes, more or less is not a big deal.
Heat a bit of olive oil and basil in a sauté pan over medium. When oil is hot, sauté mushrooms until they begin to release their juices and turn that great shade of golden/brown/sautéed mushroom color. Splash in a bit of balsamic, and cook for a minute more. Remove pan from heat, and pour slightly cooled mushrooms into the batter.
Preheat the oven to 450, and muscle out your cast iron skillet [mine is about 11″, so my socca is fairly thin]. Stick the skillet into the preheating oven for a bit so it gets hot enough that you need an oven mitt to take it out. Pour that glug of avo oil into the preheated skillet and swirl it around so it evenly coats the bottom. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet, and place it back into the oven. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the top is just firm. Remove and let rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving. I took all of mine out of the skillet and let it cool on racks for a bit, as I didn’t want it to overcook. Keeps fairly well in the fridge for at least a day, but is best served right after it’s made.
Startlingly Green Sauce
I apologize in advance for the vagueness of this recipe. It’s really up to your taste, so use what sounds good and tastes appealing to you! I use whatever I have on hand, but typically the base ingredients are the same. Incidentally, this makes an excellent pasta sauce… Gluten free, vegan. Makes about 1 cup.
- two good handfuls of mixed greens
- 1 c frozen peas, defrosted
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt+pepper to taste
- ~1/4 c nutritional yeast
- ~1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c raw cashews, soaked for a few minutes for easier blending
- 2 tsp frozen basil, or a good handful of fresh
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano or diced fresh
- perhaps a splash of Bragg’s liquid aminos, if you’re feeling it
Chuck the load into your food processor, and blend the crap out of it! Taste. Like what you taste? Fab! Eat! Not so much? Adjust as needed. More salt… more nutritional yeast… garlic? Why not. The green sauce is your oyster. Spread on whatever it needs to be spread on, i.e. socca and pasta and other delicious things.
Wait...are those...cookies?! 