Socca with Walnut Basil Pesto: Vegan & Gluten Free
If you haven’t tried socca before, you’re in for a treat. It’s a sort of flatbread or substantial pancake made from chickpeas and it’s naturally vegan and gluten free. It’s also delicious. With little cooking or preparation required it makes a perfect meal for summertime. This socca spread with walnut basil pesto and scattered with toasted walnuts and purple mangetout scores particularly well.
Unfamiliar Cooking Facilities
Over the last few months, we’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the New Forest sorting and clearing my mother in law’s house and getting the garden into some sort of order. When we’re there I don’t have a whole store cupboard full of ingredients or the utensils I’m used to using; meals need to be very simple and also quick to make.
This socca with walnut basil pesto is ideal. The photos were taken with my phone as I left my camera behind at home. So please excuse the quality.
Socca. What’s that?
Socca is a street food from the south of France. It’s made very simply from chickpea flour, olive oil and water. Traditionally, it’s baked rather than fried, as I’ve done here and it’s served with very simple toppings.
Socca goes by the name of farinata in neighbouring Italy, although it has other regional names too. Chickpea flour is widely available these days, but you may find it under one of its other names: gram flour or besan flour.
Gram Flour
As we’ve all been told many times, chickpeas are very good for us. Gram flour is packed with protein. It also contains a high level of vitamin B6, iron, selenium, magnesium and potassium. I added a bit of turmeric, because I like to get some of that in my diet most days. All you need to accompany your socca are a few vegetables. Purple mangetout in this instance.
Socca Preparation
Both the socca and pesto are quick to prepare, although the batter needs to rest for a good hour before cooking. I only had a small pan, so my socca was very thick. A larger pan would be much better as it’s meant to have a depth of about half a centimetre. It should be crisp on the outside and creamy ion the inside.
If you have a surfeit of courgettes, you could grate one into the batter or make these courgette and chickpea pancakes with mango and cucumber salsa. Adding lime zest to the batter was inspired and the pesto made a fine accompaniment.
Other Vegan Green Sauce Recipes You Might Like
- Carrot top pistou
- Chimichurri sauce
- Italian green sauce (bagnèt verd)
- Vegan basil pesto
- Zhoug: Yemini hot coriander sauce
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this socca with walnut basil pesto, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Socca with Walnut Basil Pesto. PIN IT.
Socca With Walnut Basil Pesto – The Recipe
Socca with Walnut Basil Pesto & Purple Mangetout
Ingredients
Socca
- 125 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
- 200 g water
- pinch sea salt
- good grinding of black pepper
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 unwaxed lime
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 25 g walnuts toasted
- purple podded mangetout topped & tailed
Walnut Basil Pesto
- 50 g walnuts
- 50 g basil
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 75 ml olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
- good grinding of black pepper
- 1 squeeze of lime
Instructions
- At least an hour before you’re ready to start cooking, whisk the chickpea flour into the water.125 g gram flour (chickpea flour), 200 g water
- Zest the lime and whisk this in together with the turmeric, salt & pepper and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Leave to rest for an hour.pinch sea salt, good grinding of black pepper, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 unwaxed lime
- Heat the remaining oil in a medium sized non-stick pan.
- Whisk the batter again and pour into the pan. Cook over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes or until the top has just set.
- Flip the socca over and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the top is golden.
- Whilst this is cooking, boil or simmer the mangetout whole for 5-10 minutes until they are cooked but still have a bit of bite to them.purple podded mangetout
- Blitz all of the ingredients for the pesto in a blender. I used my Nutri Force blender.50 g walnuts, 50 g basil, 1 clove garlic, 75 ml olive oil, 1 pinch sea salt, good grinding of black pepper
- Spread 3-4 teaspoonfuls over the cooked and warm socca.
- Top with the toasted walnuts and serve with the peas and the remaining lime cut into wedges.25 g walnuts
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sending this socca with walnut basil pesto to Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays.
It also goes to #CookBlogShare hosted by Hijacked by Twins.
And as this is naturally vegan and gluten-free, I’m also linking my socca with walnut basil pesto to #FreeFromFridays at Le Coin de Mel.
This post contains affiliate links. Buying through a link will not cost you any more, but I will get a small commission. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
I’ve had chickpea pancakes before but socca is something different for me to try. I’m always up for trying new vegan things!
Socca is brilliant. It’s easy to make and you can add whatever toppings you fancy.
Choclette, I’m not gluten-free myself but have a number of friends who are. This sounds like something I’d like to make for them. I’ve never heard of socca, but I’m sure I’d like it.
I’m sure you would Jean, you can add whatever toppings your like, so it’s infinitely versatile. The same thing is called farinata in Italy.
I’ve never seen socca before, but it looks so tasty. Also love the purple mange toute on top of the pesto. Fantastic dish.
Thanks Sammie. Purple peas are always fun, but socca is definitely worth trying. it’s so easy to make, especially on the stove top as I’ve done.
I will have to try socca again. I tried making it a few months ago and it tasted good but stuck to the pan and so looked a complete mess by the time I’d scraped it all out! It never made it onto the blog but maybe if I tried to remake it on the stovetop it would be a different matter. I do at least feel it would be worth trying again now!
Just make sure you use a good non-stick pan Corina and you should be fine. It cooks faster on the stove top too – bonus!
It’s so inspiring that you are still creating imaginative recipes like this during your move. I think for me creativity would go out the window to be replaced by exhaustion and lots of toasties and salad.
It was beans on toast for supper tonight Jac 😉
I love socca, similar to Italian Italian farinata and those purple mange tout are very interesting. I must try them (I saw them at Sainsburys recently). Lovely healthy recipe!
Thanks Alida. I didn’t think to look on your site, but I expect you have a recipe for farinata – do you? The purple mange tout are really tasty and anything purple is meant to be super healthy 🙂
I absolutely love Socca! I worked in the South of France for a few months and often would pick this up from street food vendors and it’s so good! I’ve made it at home a few times and I love the sound of these toppings
Laura x
How fabulous. I’ve never tried the real thing. Not the Italian farinata either. One day!
I’ve never tried Socca before! But this looks delicious 🙂 I’ll be pinning!
It’s a brilliant simple summer supper – well worth trying.
I absolutely love Pesto, and this looks like a really good combination! I look forward to trying this!
Thanks Stella. Pesto is just brilliant. The socca isn’t bad either 😉
Oooh I have not heard of Socca before but really want to try it! I adore pesto and the peas look fab. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
It’s a really easy and versatile dish which you can eat with pretty much anything you like.
I love farinata, and make it a lot… but I always do mine in the oven. It’s never occurred to me to cook it like a pancake on the stove!
The mangetout looks really cool! I’ve seen plenty of purple beans but not peas! xx
It’s just easier on the stove top – or at least cheaper! And it means not having to turn the oven on in hot weather. We used to grow purple peas before the deer got in and we had to give up growing pretty much anything 🙁
Never heard of socca before but couldn’t help but wonder if it had some Arab influence with the chickpeas. Looks good!
Well Arabs were the master traders of their day, so that’s a distinct possibility.
I recently had a chat with a friend where we were saying is there any veg that can’t be purple after seeing purple brussel sprouts. And now snow peas! I have only had socca once and cooked it in the oven – I really need to try i on stovetop – this looks lovely and somehow I can’t get the combination of walnuts and apples out of my head – what chance that someone somewhere has purple apples 🙂
Oh no Johanna,not purple apples surely! But you’re right purple is the new wonder colour and any veg worth it’s salt needs to be that colour 😉 Cooking the socca on a stove top, means no need to turn on the oven. Too hot for much oven work here at the moment!
Wow, what a unique dish. I have never tried this, but it is definitely on the list now. I love the colour!
As long as you’ve whipped up the batter earlier, it’s a godsend for a super speedy, nutritious and delicious supper dish.
I have heard of socca in france but never tried it! Love the sound of a chickpea pancake and your walnut basil pesto sounds really good. Lovely topped off with some mange tout especially purple!
Thanks Lucy. One day I will try the real thing in the real place, but until then I shall carry on making up my own versions 🙂
I haven’t tried socca or purple mangetout, but I do love chickpeas, and imagine I’d enjoy this flatbread too. Delicious!
Thanks Galina. It’s so easy to make, it’s definitely worth a try and it really is quite delicious.
I adore socca! Haven’t made one in ages. Now you have me crave some, Choclette. The purple peas look fun.
Thanks Angie. It’s such a simple meal to make and so tasty too, I don’t know why I don’t do it more often. The purple peas were delicious.