Vegan Socca Pancakes with Spinach, Fennel & Tahini Dressing
These vegan socca pancakes are delicious and light, with a fresh-tasting topping of fennel and spinach.
The tahini dressing brings all the flavours together, with the hint of zesty lemon that runs through the dish.
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What are socca pancakes?
A staple in Northern Italy and Southern France, socca pancakes (AKA la socca or farinata) are a gluten-free and vegan flatbread made with chickpea flour.
Traditionally cooked in a wood oven, socca can be enjoyed on its own or topped with your favourite ingredients.
In this recipe, we combine fennel, spinach, and chickpeas to create a drool-worthing topping that is hearty and flavoursome.
Is chickpea flour healthy?
Chickpea flour is rich in nutrients thanks to its main ingredient – chickpeas!
Chickpea flour is a staple in Indian cuisine. This gluten-free flour is high in plant protein and fibre and is high in vitamins and minerals.
It has a predominately neutral taste with a slightly nutty flavour, making it a versatile ingredient for both sweet and savoury dishes.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Calories: 418
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 30 minutes
Calories: 418
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the socca pancakes
- 22.5 22.5 g chickpea flour
- 60 60 ml water
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juice only
- a pinch of salt
- oil, for frying
- For the tahini dressing
- 15 15 ml tahini
- 0.25 0.25 lemon, juice only
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 0.25 0.25 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- water, enough to make the dressing runny
- salt, to taste
- For the topping
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp olive oil
- 0.5 0.5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 50 50 g fresh spinach
- 1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
- 0.25 0.25 tin chickpeas, drained
- salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Whisk the chickpea flour, olive oil, water, lemon juice and pinch of salt together in a bowl.
- Let the batter sit for at least 10 minutes.
- While the batter is resting, make the dressing. Stir together the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and water until combined and a little runny. Season with salt.
- To cook the pancakes, heat a little of the frying oil in a medium-sized frying pan before pouring in a third of the batter. Tilt the pan so that the batter spreads out. It should be as thin as a crêpe pancake.
- Cook until well browned and crisp underneath, (about 2-3 minutes). Flip it over and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter.
- To make the topping, heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan and fry the garlic cloves over a medium heat until golden brown.
- Add the spinach, fennel, lemon juice and chickpeas, and cook, tossing occasionally until the vegetables are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top each pancake with the fennel, chickpea and spinach mix, then drizzle with the tahini sauce and finish with a sprinkle of lemon zest, before serving.
Each 262g serving provides:
27g Fat, 3.7g Saturates, 34g Carbohydrate, 6.1g Sugars, 9g Fibre, 13g Protein, 0.63g Salt.
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