Sweet Potato & Winter Herb Farinata

Gram (chickpea) flour is a dark horse in the kitchen, which can become earthy spiced pakoras, savoury pancakes for roots and greens (see page 99), Niçoise socca or Ligurian farinata.

This is a flexible and fail-safe way of cooking with gram flour: you can use a different shaped tin, or leave the batter to rest to suit your timings. Once you’ve mastered this method, the vegetables and herbs can be adapted, too. The oil may look like a lot in the pan, but the flour (a thirsty i