Collard and Cheese Socca
Adapted from a recipe in Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Makes about 6 pancakes
What is socca? Pronounced socka, it is a French dish; a kind of savory chickpea pancake seasoned and eaten hot. This dish has a soft pancake-like crust, due to the way it’s cooked. Even though this appears to be a long recipe each step is quite simple. Of course you can make adjustments to topping ingredients to suit your family tastes. It’s easy to add a little sausage meat to the onions, for example.
Ingredients and Preparation
Socca Batter
1 ¾ cups chickpea flour
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
Put chickpea flour in a bowl and add water, while mixing well with a wire whisk or large fork, until batter is smooth. Add oil and salt and mix again. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and let batter rest while you prepare onions and collards.
Collards
1 Tablespoon oil
1 bunch collards, remove ribs and cut leaves into about 1-inch square pieces
4 cloves garlic
Splash of vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
In a large saucepan heat the oil and sauté garlic and collards over medium high heat for several minutes. Add vinegar, water and salt and simmer over medium low heat about 15 minutes, or until collards are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Onions
1 Tablespoon oil
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Pour oil into a large skillet over high heat; add onions and sauté a few minutes, then turn down to medium low and cook until soft and slightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
To make and assemble the Socca:
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese, grated
Prepare 2 large baking pans by brushing with a very fine layer of oil. Set aside. Take a small non-stick or cast-iron skillet, roughly 6-inches at the base, and brush it with the smallest amount of oil. (For other skillets use a little more oil to prevent sticking.) Put on high heat for a couple of minutes, then reduce heat to medium-high and pour in slightly less than ½ cup of batter. After about 2 minutes, air bubbles will appear on the surface and the pancake will have set on its base. Use a spatula to release its edges then carefully lift and turn it over. Cook for another minute. Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the batter. When all the pancakes have been made, place them, on the baking sheets, in the oven for 5 minutes.
Divide the cheese between the six pancakes; then layer the onions over the pancakes, and finally add a layer of collard greens. Place baking sheets back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes, until all the cheese is melted.
Cut each pancake into 4-6 pieces, if desired.