Farinata

Oh my farinata is such a delicious snack from the Liguria region, in the north west of Italy around Genoa.

Farinata is like an unleavened pancake, but has a crispy exterior & a softer interior texture. It’s made with really simple, humble ingredients – just chickpea flour, water, extra virgin olive oil & salt - & that makes it naturally gluten free (GF) and vegan (V). The characteristics of farinata is that it should be thin & normally the ratio of flour to water is 1:3 for the batter.

Serve on its own or with a dip. I have added some extra flavour to my farinata with fresh rosemary - & topped mine with thinly sliced red onions before going into the oven to be baked.

Utterly delicious as a quick snack, perfect for any time of the day.

Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻‍🍳

Farinata recipe:

450ml cold water
150g chickpea or gram flour (sifted)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
1 thinly sliced red onion (optional)
Small amount of evoo for the base of the tin

Makes 1 large farinata

1. First, make the batter. Add the water and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the chickpea flour and olive oil really well and leave to rest covered for about 3-4 hours at room temperature.

2. After the resting period whisk in the rosemary and a pinch of black pepper. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

3. Cover a large baking tin (mine was rectangular) with greaseproof paper and a drizzle of evoo to cover. Pour in the batter and add the onions on top with a final drizzle of evoo.

4. Put in the oven and bake without turning for about 25 minutes. Turn on the grill setting and after about 3-4 minutes it should be nice and golden on top.

5. Take out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serve straight away.