Ingredients
1C chickpea flour (356c, 53k, 21p, 9.9f)
1C water
1 1/2T oil (179c, 0k, 0p, 0f)
1/2t salt
Toppings
Brush with pesto and eat hot
Treat like pizza crust with tomato, mozzarella and basil
Add an arugula salad, fold and eat like a sandwich
Dish Totals 535c, 53k, 21p 9.9f
1-4 Servings (depends on how it is used)
Directions
First, gather all the ingredients, your cast iron pan, and set oven to 450F. Make sure the top oven rack is ~6” below broiler.
- Be careful the cast iron skillet will be very hot during this procedure so take precautions.
- Any ovenproof skillet can be used, I just prefer a traditional pan.
2) Whisk the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt/pepper together in a bowl. Let rest for ~30 min so the water is fully absorbed by the flour.
- If you want herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.) in the batter for a variation add them at this point so they are distributed throughout the batter.
3) Heat cast iron pan in the oven ~5-10 min before cooking. You want the bottom of the bread to start cooking as soon as you add the batter.
4) Once the pan is removed from the oven, turn oven to Broil.
5) Add olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom, and a bit of the sides, of the skillet. Pour the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt every which way so the batter coats the entire surface of the skillet. Then place in the oven to broil for ~5 to 8 minutes until the top begins to blister and brown.
- You want this a thicker bread, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick at the most.
- If bread is browning before the batter is firm, move the skillet to a lower oven rack.
- The farinata should be a bit flexible in the middle but crispy on the edges.
6) Take out of the oven and use a spatula to work under the Farinata and ease it from the pan onto a cutting board. Add your toppings and then slice Farinata into 4 wedges and serve.
7) This recipe can make 1-2 breads depending upon the size of your skillet and how thick you want the bread to be.
[x] Flexitarian + Omnivore
[x] Vegetarian + Pescatarian
[x] Vegan
[x] Gluten free
[x] Keto
[x] Mediterranean
[O] Lectin Avoidance: bean flour
[O] Oxilate Avoidance: chickpeas
[x] Purine Avoidance
— with changes —
[x] Weight Maint: half is a portion size
Comment
This is an unleavened bread, ethnic street food from Italy often served with just pesto or with pizza-type toppings. Wikipedia says it originated in Genoa (called fainâ) and later became a typical food of the Ligurian Seacoast, from Nice to Elba island. One origin-story they report is that farinata was invented by a group of Roman soldiers who roasted chickpea-flour on a shield
In Italy this would be a substantial bread, as opposed to a crepe, almost pancake like but bends in the middle to make a “sandwich” effect should you want to place a salad in the middle. By the way, Farinata means “made of flour.” I should also mention that I have seen this bread used in Italy as a topping to a pizza that was then sliced so you had a pizza sandwich.
Storage: Farinata is best immediately after baking, but can be refrigerated and re-toasted for up to 1 week.
