Name: Ligurian Chickpea Pancake (Farinata Genovese)
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings as a starter or side dish
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste; ½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced (¼ to ½ cup, loosely packed, to taste), optional; 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, optional; 1 cup chickpea flour; 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6 servings
as a starter or side dish

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

The Best Recipes in the World

By Mark Bittman

Published 2005

About

Farinata, which is nearly identical to the socca of Provence, is a cross between firm polenta and a primitive pizza. To me it’s the perfect no-work Mediterranean appetizer, a great thing to have in your repertoire if you want to make sure there’s something warm for guests to eat when they arrive—or if you just want to round out a pasta dinner for the family on a weeknight.

Keep the pepper mill nearby when you serve the farinata; it’s best with an almost perverse amount of freshly gr