Socca

[Toddy]

It's another flat bread recipe, but it's so incredibly simple, and so easily flavoured and seasoned, with whatever is around, that I think it kind of belongs in among the cast iron campfire cooking repertoire

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-ma...tbread-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-169513

Anyone else make this ? and what do you add ?

M

p.s. Link to making it in an outdoor oven, street food style in France.

 

[Stew]

Wow, can't get a much simpler recipe!

I'll be trying that!!

 

[Toddy]

I reckon it'd do well in a Dutch oven as well as in a skillet .....maybe after frying bacon?

M

 

[Kepis]

ooh, looks tasty, might give that a go for lunch

 

[Toddy]

I was thinking the same thing, I've got rosemary to use up and the remains of the grated red cheddar. I think that and some sea salt might do rather well....might finish off the chutney too.

I have Besan flour in the pantry, it's Tesco's 1kg bag for about £1.30. It's not pure chickpea that one, I think it has yellow split peas in it too, but I'm going to give it a go.
Pure chickpea Besan is around a couple of pounds for a kg......that's an awful lot of socca !

M

 

[Turnip]

If you try it Mary let us know how it turns out please, think the other half would like this!
I cant seem to find any pure chick pea flour on tescos, have you got a linky?

Cheers

Jon

 

[Toddy]

I'm eating it just now
It's okay, kind of crispy on the outside and softer inside. I just used the big sauté pan and flipped the disc when it was firm. I'm eating it with grated cheddar, but I think it'd be excellent with some sweet chilli sauce and bits and pieces of veggies too.

The link to Tesco's besan (which is what I had in the pantry)
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/265181200?sc_cmp=ppc*GHS+-+Grocery+-+New*PX+|+Shopping+GSC+|+All+Products+++Tesco+Brand*PRODUCT+GROUP265181200*&gclid=CjwKCAiA6qPRBRAkEiwAGw4SdlU0yVvk4l2FS_Frhs7hrMXjPw2483aRK16gNHRyMxPMu0zVI8sG4BoCNH4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

and it is only £1.29 for a kg bag I usually use it for making onion bhajis and pakora.

If you want pure chickpea flour though, might be cheaper to grind your own.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buy-Whole-Foods-Online-Ltd/dp/B00B1RG0AU


M

 

[Macaroon]

I use chick pea flour quite a lot for all sorts of stuff; I get a kilo of Dove's Farm from the local health food shop for around the £2 mark, and it's completely unadulterated. Probably be better looking for Gram flour in health food shops and under that name most Asian places will have it too as it's quite a big item in Indian cuisine. Waitrose usually have it as well.

I mix some of it with other flours to get the chick pea flavour in pancakes and the like, and adding it to a roux gives great depth to the flavour of a sauce. From the Middle East all the way across Asia chick peas have a reputation for making Wheat much easier and healthier for humans to digest when consumed in combination with each other, hence the label of 'Superfood' given to Falafel by some

 

[crosslandkelly]

Thanks Mary, I'll have to try that.

 

[Toddy]

I use chick pea flour quite a lot for all sorts of stuff; I get a kilo of Dove's Farm from the local health food shop for around the £2 mark, and it's completely unadulterated. Probably be better looking for Gram flour in health food shops and under that name most Asian places will have it too as it's quite a big item in Indian cuisine. Waitrose usually have it as well.

I mix some of it with other flours to get the chick pea flavour in pancakes and the like, and adding it to a roux gives great depth to the flavour of a sauce. From the Middle East all the way across Asia chick peas have a reputation for making Wheat much easier and healthier for humans to digest when consumed in combination with each other, hence the label of 'Superfood' given to Falafel by some

I'd love to find that here. All I can find is the mix of yellow peas and chickpeas.
We were trying to find peasemeal for Himself, so I really did look at all the packs.
In the end it was easier roasting the yellow split peas ourselves and grinding them.

I'm still pretty much gluten free, I love good wheat flour bread, but it really doesn't like me Gluten free bread is pretty dire, even the three quid a wee loaf stuff. I make a lot of oatcakes and flat breads instead. Cakes and biscuits are easy and very good gluten free (pity I'm not really fond of either except as a very occasional tasty bite) but bread just doesn't have the right texture or appeal.
Anyway, that's why I look and try so many different 'flat' breads.

M

 

[John Fenna]

That looks very good - I must try it soon!

 

[Robson Valley]

A variety of shredded peppers, carrot, onion, etc, mixed into a spiced and heavy gram batter and deep fried in globs = pakora.

 

[Stew]

Besan flour purchased!

 

[Toddy]

That French fellow makes his batter runnier than mine turned out using the recipe. The recipe worked, but I think I might try runnier next time, just to see.
I think it could be spiced up very well. It's good food just as it is though
I don't have a gas grill but I think if I did then I might try it under that. It cooked very tidily in the sauté pan though, just that I had to turn it over.
Thinking on it, I don't usually dig out the LeCreuset sauté pan because it's too blooming heavy, but I could use that one and just stick it into the oven and grill it there while it cooks through.

I poured the water over the flour and mixed it through with a whisk, it was a bit lumpy until I really beat it. I think next time just use a little water and stir it into a smooth paste first and then add more liquid, and it'd be so easy to do at camp that way simply using a fork. It'd be brilliant with curry.
I still think it'd be worth trying with the fat from the bacon though. I'm pretty sure the meat eaters would love that.

I bartered with a neighbour to adjust the fit of his new goretex trousers. He's given Himself six polybags of venison in exchange tonight (I reckon I'm winning on the deal , so some of that will end up curried, and I'll try the socca again to go with it.

M

 

[Broch]

I bartered with a neighbour to adjust the fit of his new goretex trousers. He's given Himself six polybags of venison in exchange tonight (I reckon I'm winning on the deal , so some of that will end up curried, and I'll try the socca again to go with it.

M

Curried venison; delicious. I'm very envious; good venison is proving hard to come by around here this year for some reason.
Cheers,
Broch.

 

[Toddy]

He said that there were two bags each from three different deer. A red, a roe and a fallow.
I just cook it. Himself's the only one in the house who'll eat it, but he too says the curry's good

 

[Robson Valley]

TASTE TEST!!!! What an opportunity that I'll never have. Three kinds of deer How lucky can you get?
Ted Nugent is a good old American rock & roll boy, also a good hunter and a very generous donor to food banks.
He and wife Chemane wrote "Kill It & Grill It" for cooking venison.
I think that Ted wrote the hunting stories and Shemane got serious with the recipes.

The book turns out to be a very good read on all fronts. The recipes are great,
the stories (ch 19? Hassenpfeffer by Glock) are really funny.
Copies ordered for all members of my family this solstice.

 

[John Fenna]

Just got my Gram flour - I am out for lunch today so cooking trials start tomorrow!

 

[Robson Valley]

John Fenna: Here's what I like most of all with real Gram flour: Pakora

4C mixed fine julienne of different peppers and onions, grate yam and carrot also.
4C Gram flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp baking powder

Mix all the dry, add 1-2C water to get a gooey batter.
Fold in all the veg and let stand 20 minutes.
Fry 2oz globs at 350F. Drain and hold in a 250F oven.
Serve with chutneys, plum sauce and good soya sauce.

I keep forgetting to do it but I'm convinced I need slightly thicker batter and 6C veg, not 4.
Buying more gram flour tomorrow and will test my idea.

 

[Toddy]

I never thought of julienning the veggies. It's usually just a way to use leftover bits and pieces.
Coarsely chop an onion and fry it in very little oil, then stir through chopped cooked leftover veggies (everything from potatoes to broccoli, mushrooms and fresh herbs, that said, they're good with shredded meat added too) season with garam masala, salt, etc., and set aside to cool a little while you make the batter.

Gram flour in a bowl, depends how much veg I have left to use up, add a little salt, a little ground turmeric and a shake of mild-ish chilli powder. Stir well and mix to a batter with fresh yoghurt thinned out with cold water. Let the batter sit for a little while so that the peaflour can absorb the liquid. Sometimes needs a little more yoghurt stirred through to get the batter right to mix with the veggies and stay together once the flour has taken up some of the liquid. It's a judgement call.

Combine the two and fry spoonfuls (use two spoons, one to scoop and one to scrape off tidily into the hot oil) Lift out and leave to drain on the oven grill rack.
They're very quick to cook and are usually served straight away. Leftovers store well in the fridge for a couple of days, or can be frozen. They heat up very quickly indeed in the microwave or oven.
They're inclined to be oily, so I prefer them with something plain like basmati rice or simple couscous. They're good with Indian 'temper' mixes spread over them, but chutney or brown sauce does very well

M