28.6.13

Socca from Vieux Nice # French Fridays with Dorie

This week we made Socca from Vieux Nice for French Fridays with Dorie. 


In the book, Dorie describes them as "large pancakes made from chickpea flour". That made me wonder if socca was the Niçoise version of the Indian Besan Puda or Adai Dosa. and indeed, if you spread the batter a little thick, these do taste like our Adais but a little crunchier since they are baked and broiled in the oven rather than being cooked on the griddle. but if you let the batter rest overnight or for a couple of days in the refrigerator, and then bake your socca... then the result is lovely. for whatever reason it is easier to make thinner pancakes from the rested batter and that tastes really good. 

I had decided to make Socca on Monday. however i had not read the recipe in advance. so, on Monday, i ended up making it with a batter that was mixed  just two hours in advance. since i do not have a pizza pan, i made the socca in my trusted iron skillet using exact procedure as mentioned in the book... i.e., baking it in a preheated oven for a few minutes and then broiling it for a couple of minutes to get the authentic  slightly burnt Niçoise-socca look. 

though the recipe recommended it as an appetizer, i topped the socca with spinach (prepared the same same way as i had cooked the escarole here), grilled eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and feta and happily served it for dinner with a cup of soup and it was a satisfying meal. as i mentioned the crust tasted like stiff herbed adai and i wasn't overly impressed with it. i felt that it was the topping that made the slices delectable and the crust was merely a supporting actor in the show.


though you can't tell from the image above, the socca pizza really looked good and as a result a triangle had to be cut out for the toddler even before we could take a snap. the little one however did not eat beyond the first bite. i think he was put off by both the topping and the crust.. 


since Dorie mentioned that socca batter improves with longer resting time, i decided to try it again and this time i made the batter a couple of days in advance and made the socca  with the well-rested batter last night. the result was radically different. I really liked it. So did my husband. the same quantity of batter yielded 3 thin socca pancakes or crusts which tasted awesome with out little asparagus salad. so yes. socca rocks and so does shaved asparagus salad...


while i cannot post the original recipe in the blog, you can find a recipe for socca in the Kitchn and here is my recipe of the Socca with Shaved Asparagus Salad ... though the recipe does not say so, please let the batter rest overnight for a truly delicious treat ... it really great better with rest.

Socca with Shaved Asparagus Salad 
 ingredients
  •   a socca crust
  •   basil pesto
  •   1/2 pound asparagus, shaved
  •   olive oil
  •   salt and pepper to taste
  •   1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  •   2 pieces of sun-dried tomato, chopped
  •   shredded mozzarella
  •   crumbled feta
  •   few pine nuts

 what i did
  • i shaved the asparagus, added some olive oil, salt and pepper to it and kept it aside. 
  • next i caramelized the onions and kept that aside.
  • finally i prepared the socca using batter that had rest in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
  • once the socca was done i turned the oven temperature to 400 degree F.
  • Meanwhile, i smeared the pesto over it, topped it with the caramelized onion, shaved asparagus, pieces of sun-dried tomato. added the cheese and nuts over it and put the topped socca back into the oven and baked for 5 minutes.

 For the original recipe of socca and many more delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.
I shall be sharing this with the following food events:
nap-time creations
Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked MomCast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain  Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on Show and Share @ Semi Homemade MomWonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's Network
Thursday Food:Link it Up Thursday @ Seven AliveCreative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty CreationsFantastic Thursday @ Three Little ChiefsThriving on Thursdays @ DomesblissityFreedom Friday @ My TurnFull Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid SimpleFriday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet HomeFoodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness MissFriday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes, Gluten-Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mamma

18 comments:

  1. Wonderful presentation. Sounds great!

    today's post:
    http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/06/litchi-cookie-dessert.html

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  2. Looks very tempting, I shud say :) Learned something new today :) But don't u think we can find a counterpart for the French or Italian dishes in our cuisine.. I always feel that pizza is our Indian Naan with cheese & toppings.. We serve Naan with a side dish & they have both together !!

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes Chitz, we do have a Indian counterpart of many Mediterranean dishes. But their version is somewhat easier and less time consuming to put together. Almost always, the Indian versions demand a lot of time and work. no ?

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  3. Your socca came out fantastic. Did you get a chance to post your link on the French Friday Home page so other people from the group will visit you? I don't think I remember your link. So glad you are cooking with us and thank you for sharing your socca with us on foodie friday.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Diane. I am really enjoying FfwD.

      I hadn't posted my link earlier. Did so just now.

      Delete
  4. OH! Love your toppings. Definitely making these again so I can try your toppings.

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  5. Your socca looks delicious. I like how you topped it to make it like a pizza. What a great idea!

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  6. The topping sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing this on foodie friday

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  7. Your topping choices do sound delicious!

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  8. This looks and sounds so delicious and socca is new to me! Thank you so much for sharing at Best of Weekend and it's wonderful to meet you! We hope you will join us again next Friday and have a wonderful week!

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  9. What a unique and delicious sounding snack - I had to pop over to take a look at how to make this cracker. Very interesting recipe and technique... I love the use of chickpea flour.

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  10. I love socca, it is endlessly adaptable to a variety of fillings. I had a delicious one out at restaurant a few months ago with red quinoa, kale and Persian feta and I've been meaning to try that at home since.

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  11. This sounds absolutely wonderful. I'm always up for trying new dishes, especially vegetarian dishes as I am cutting back on the meat I eat and because I just love vegetarian dishes! Thank you so much for sharing this at Marvelous Mondays, Tanusree. I'll be pinning this and sharing on Facebook. And I will be featuring it at Sunday's party! Have a wonderful evening!

    Julie @ This Gal Cooks

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  12. Now this is a recipe I am going to try. The socca recipe is something I haven't tried before but it sure sound good and is so healthy. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!


    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino

    The Chicken Chick

    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  13. hi! This looks delicious! I love the veggies... thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays at Nap-Time Creations... you are being featured in the round up this weekend... I would love for you to come over and share your feature on Facebook, Pinterest or G+....I'm a new follower :o) You can see the post here: http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2013/07/fresh-food-for-summer-featuring-you.html
    OH and grab a featured button to show off!!

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  14. I can't wait to try this Socca, it looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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  15. Oh wow! This socca looks stunning! :) Thank you so much for linking up with me this week at Tasty Tuesdays! I’ve pinned this & shared it with my followers! Please be sure to stop back by the party and check out some of the other links!

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Thanks for stopping by. It was nice having you here. Have a good day.

Take care and come back soon.
Best, Tanusree

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