Robin Ellis

Socca Pancakes—the recipe below is from my book “Delicious Dishes for Diabetics” (available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk)

socca pancake

These little discs are handy landing pads for pretty much anything you fancy. Today I had some left over roast chicken (also in the book) in the fridge; which I sautéed with some sweet onion slices, dry roast walnut pieces and some sliced celery in a little walnut and olive oil. The pancake base ( I covered mine with a pancake hat) added a slightly crunchy interest to the chicken filling.

The other day I added the spicy cauliflower recipe from my book—see below–and served a poached egg on the side.

Sauted cauliflower

Farinata or Socca (Pancake)

Serves 4

This is street food and is still sold on the streets of Nice and Marseille in southern France. These pancakes are about 20 cm/8 inches wide and are good for parking things on – a fried egg or some bacon bits or, as I did recently for a light supper, thinly sliced roast tomatoes.*

170 g/6 oz chickpea flour

400 ml/14 fl oz/1½ cups sparkling water

80 ml/2.5 fl oz/ cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tbsp rosemary leaves

olive oil

1. Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the water and whisk it in until smooth.

2. Add the oil and whisk it in. Add pinches of salt and pepper and the rosemary. You will have roughly half a litre (20 fl oz) of batter. Leave to soak for 20–30 minutes.

3. When you are ready to make the pancake, heat a swirl of olive oil in a 25 cm/10 inch frying pan. When hot, put a tablespoonful of the stirred mixture in the pan and turn the heat down a little. Cook for a few seconds until you can ease the pancake loose with a spatula or fish slice. Now you have to turn it over! Be bold! Practice makes perfect and anyway the first attempt, if not completely successful, will be edible.

Cook the pancake a further few seconds and remove from the pan.

Both sides should be a golden brown. Add a few twists of the pepper mill on each.

* Cook the tomatoes, sprinkled with a little salt and olive oil, for 20 minutes in a low oven (140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1).

Cauliflower with Mustard Seeds and Fennel

Serves 4

Madhur Jaffrey, the Indian actress and cook, brings a touch of the sub-continent to the Mediterranean. This version of her recipe stands on its own and would be good served on the socca pancake or with the “comfort” lentils, and is excellent as a vegetarian main course.

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp fennel seeds

3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 largish cauliflower – dismantled into small florets

4 tbsp hot water

salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Put in the mustard and fennel seeds.

2. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the garlic cloves. As they begin to turn colour, add the turmeric and cayenne and stir them in.

3. Add the cauliflower florets and turn them in the oily mixture. Add the water and turn the heat down.

4. Cook on a gentle heat, covered, for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender.

5. Uncover the pan and let any remaining water evaporate. Add salt to taste.

Socca (chick pea) pancake with sauted spicy cauliflower