Socca It To Me: Chick Pea Crepes

Photo: Mandy Jones. All rights reserved.

Socca (chick pea flour crepes) transports me to another time and place. Anyone who has eaten Socca somewhere in the French Riviera will admit the regional specialty can become seriously addicting. I can't imagine a better way to spend an hour than sitting in the Nicoise market with a pile of peppery socca and a goblet of local rose. 

In fact, all I spoke of before our trip to Nice this past December was how I can't wait to have socca. I now chastise myself for waiting almost the entire first week before indulging in some (although I was feasting on other fabulous delicacies- like duck terrine). But, we more than made up for it in the subsequent 2 weeks.  I lived and studied in Nice. Travel to Nice for vacation. Conduct tours through the French Riviera and Provence.  I've eaten socca all over the region and well into Italy. It's not all the same. My favorites remain in Nice.  

Nothing beats a plateful of ragged torn-up bits of socca from Chez Thérésa in the Nice flower market. Her famous crepes are made a few blocks away in the restaurant and carried via bicycle to her fire breathing 50 gallon drum from which she serves eager customers until they run out. Then there's Lou Pilha Leva, tucked in the heart of Old Town, where tourists and locals chow socca and pissiladiere (onion tart) while sitting elbow-to-elbow at picnic tables. It's an authentic street food experience, but the best socca (in my opinion) in Nice, is Chez Pipo, near the marina, where they serve massive soccas 'raked' across the top for extra crispiness. Worth the effort to visit.

Socca is traditionally baked in a huge copper pan in the oven, which is why they aren't commonly made at home. Also, socca are much crispier than regular crepes, therefore no filler required. I would describe them as thin pancakes with crispy (sometimes even burnt) edges and burnt bits in places. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a heavy handed dose of course, ground black pepper.  Let there be socca.

Photo (steel pan): Mandy Jones.

Photo (steel pan): Mandy Jones.

I was excited to see this recipe in Salad as a Meal. Before reading Patricia Wells's description of salad, I might not have ventured to refer to socca as 'salad', but with her expanded definition, I agree this is a light and refreshing meal. No matter how full (or not hungry) I might be, there's always room for socca. I enlisted my sister Mandy, who also has been to Nice, to help whip up a few batches. She and I are teaching a series of cultural-culinary courses at Upper Arlington's Lifelong Learning this spring and The Great Crepe Escape (register online) is our first. Socca is on the menu, so this was good practice. We'll likely use the SAAM recipe in class.

We made several batches in a variety of pans able to withstand 450 degrees in the oven.  The best success came with our regular steel crepe pans, which we heated for 5 minutes in the oven before pouring the batter. KEY--- a sizzling hot pan ensures even cooking.  That's they way they do it in France. We also tried a using less and more batter. Our third batch turned out quite good and we chose to cut the socca neatly into triangles (as the Italian do) rather than tear it apart.

EXPERIMENTAL BATCH IN A PAELLA PAN

Photo (Paella pan): Shawnie Kelley

As I read the intro to Patricia's recipe, I learned she uses a custom made copper socca pan, about the same size as a paella pan. Light bulb! I have one, so I made a batch in our paella pan, which would have turned out good had there been more batter to make it slightly thicker and pancake-like. Edges crisped up nicely and it tasted OK, despite being too thin. 

Photo (Paella pan): Shawnie Kelley

I've used several socca recipes over time and the Salad as a Meal recipe turns out as tasteful as those you can buy in a Provençal market. It might take trial and error to get them to the proper consistency, but it's a worthy and delicious undertaking... 
 * Find chick pea flour at Whole Foods or Indian grocers, like Patel Brothers on Sawmill Road here in Columbus.

My fellow bloggers who also made socca are Kate Kurtz of Urban Food Producers and Hillary Davis of Dimache Marche, who also made the falafel from the cookbook. It all turned out lovely.... Shelby Kinnaird of DiabeticFoodie blog had to trek far & wide to find chick pea flour, but has joined the Socca Club with a blog offering the most nutritional information of us all. 

Click here to purchase: 

Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]

On the Eighth Day of Salads...

One of my fellow bloggers, Hillary Davis of MarcheDimanche made this recipe and took the mouthwatering pictures. Click here to read what Hillary had to say, but I'm thinking this might be a great recipe to use up Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

Photo by Hillary Davis. all rights reserved

Poached Turkey Breast Salad

with Lemon, Capers, Cornichons &Mint

My good friend Carol Allen so raved about this cold marinated turkey breast, I had to ask for the recipe! I have  adapted it a bit and find that the simplicity and ease of poaching a whole turkey breast makes it ideal for salads for a crowd. And if you are not a crowd, a portion of the poached turkey can be sliced thinly and dressed while the rest can be cubed and used in any recipe calling for poached or roasted chicken. Serve this with a simple

tossed green salad.

12 SERVINGS

EQUIPMENT: A 6- QUART STOCKPOT; AN ELECTRIC MEAT SLICER OR A VERY SHARP

CHEF’S KNIFE.

1 boneless turkey breast (about 4 pounds)

1 large onion, halved (do not peel) and stuck with 2 cloves

3 carrots, chopped

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

A 1- inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled

4 plump, moist garlic cloves, peeled, halved, and green germ removed

6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Marinade

Grated zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup extra- virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon imported French mustard

6 small spring onions or scallions, white part only, trimmed, peeled, and cut into very thin slices

12 Cornichons (page 290), thinly sliced

1/2 cup Capers in Vinegar (page 289), drained

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, cut into a chiffonade, for garnish

1. Place the turkey breast in the stockpot and add enough cold water to cover by

1 inch. Remove the turkey to a platter. Add the onion, carrots, bay leaves, salt,

peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and vinegar to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Carefully lower the turkey into the pot, reduce the heat to a bare simmer, and poach,

covered, for 1 1/4 hours.

2. Remove the pot from the heat and let the turkey cool in the liquid, uncovered, for

30 minutes.

3. Drain the turkey and discard the poaching liquid and solids.

4. Prepare the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice, oil, and

mustard. Stir in the spring onions, cornichons, and capers.

5. Place the turkey in a sturdy resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade into the

bag. Seal the bag and turn it back and forth to coat the turkey. Refrigerate for at

least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

6. At serving time, remove the turkey from the bag, reserving the marinade, and place

it on a cutting board. With a meat slicer or a very sharp chef’s knife, cut the turkey

into paper- thin slices. Arrange the turkey slices on a platter. Moisten the turkey with

the marinade. Garnish with the mint, and serve.

WINE SUGGESTION: I enjoy a lively Chenin Blanc here, such as the Vouvray from Domaine

Huet.


Click here to purchase: 

Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]

On the Seventh Day of Salads... Cilantro-Flecked Heirloom Tomato Soup

Certain soups are just as well considered a salad in liquid form... I will forever think of vegetable soups, gazpacho or pureed soups made from peas, squash or, in this case, heirloom tomatoes as salad. I made this soup for a small group of freinds, along with Chicken Salad with Green Beans and Lemon Yogurt dressing sandwiches- another wonderful recipe from the Salad as a Meal cookbook for which I posted a chicken salad recipe in an earlier blog. Our soup turned out a little thicker than I suspect it should have because I didn't have the right blending tools, but it had fabulous flavor nonetheless.


Cilantro-Flecked Heirloom Tomato Soup

In the summer months, I keep a batch of this soup on hand in the refrigerator, and I often sip a glassful for breakfast. Light, refreshing, and full of flavor, it hits the spot any time of the day. It matches beautifully with a salad as a meal made up of nothing but chunks of fresh garden tomatoes drizzled with a touch of Basil-Lemon Dressing (page 319). Yes, tomato soup with tomato salad. When they are ripe and ready, never too many tomatoes in my book!

12 SERVINGS

EQUIPMENT: A BLENDER OR A FOOD PROCESSOR; 12 CHILLED SHALLOW SOUP BOWLS.

1 1/2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered (do not peel)

1/2 cup imported Italian tomato paste

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground piment d’Espelette or other ground mild chile pepper

2 tablespoons best-quality sherry-wine vinegar

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish (I use a variety of cilantro called Delfino)

Combine all the ingredients, except the extra cilantro leaves, in a a blender or a food processor. Add 1 2/3 cups water and puree to a smooth liquid. Taste for seasoning. The soup can be served immediately, but the flavors benefit from ripening for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours, refrigerated. Serve in soup bowls, garnished with cilantro leaves. (Store without the garnish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reblend at serving time.)

Food processor or blender? In most cases, the food processor and blender can be used interchangeably. But for many soups—especially those that are made in quantity, such as this tomato soup—I find the blender is more accommodating. Even large food processors tend to overflow with a larger volume of liquid. And while the food processor purees, the blender can turn soups into a thicker, emulsified liquid.

Selecting the best tomato paste: Be sure to read the ingredients label when purchasing tomato paste. Many domestic brands contain sugar and other sweeteners. Brands from Italy generally contain nothing but tomatoes and salt. In this recipe in particular, where a quantity of tomato paste is used, the pure version is a must.


Click here to purchase: 

Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]

Chicken Salad w/Green Beans & Tahini-Lemon-Yogurt Dressing

My sister invited a few gals over for lunch today. We made the chicken salad, but went light on the cilantro since all other recipes (we made from Salad as a Meal) called for some sort of citrus flair, if not cilantro. I didn't miss the limey herb one bit, because the crunchy green beans took center stage. LOVE THIS RECIPE. Ended up serving the chicken salad on Jacques Pepin's 'bread in a pot' recipe from this month's issue of Edible Columbus, alongside the Cilantro-flecked Heirloom Tomato Soup, which had a great kick and complimented the chicken salad. We served the sandwiches with the cilantro-flecked heirloom tomato soup. Recipe also in Salad as a Meal.

Photo: Shawnie Kelley.  All rights reserved.

Chicken Salad with Green Beans, Tahini- Lemon- Yogurt Dressing and Cilantro

This colorful and tangy salad is packed with flavor, texture, and character. We eat green

beans several times a week when they are in season, and never get enough of their great

crunch, brilliant green color, and healthful, refreshing flavors.

4 SERVINGS

EQUIPMENT: A 5- QUART PASTA POT FITTED

WITH A COLANDER.

3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

8 ounces green beans, trimmed at both ends and cut into 1- inch pieces

3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) cubed cooked chicken (see page 197)

1 1/2 cups sliced celery (1/4- inch slices)

Tahini- Lemon- Yogurt Dressing and Dipping Sauce (page 332)

1/2 cup finely minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

Coarse, freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

2. Fill the pasta pot with 3 quarts of water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.

Add the salt and the beans and blanch until crisp- tender, about 5 minutes. (Cooking

time will vary according to the size and tenderness of the beans.) Immediately

remove the colander from the water, letting the water drain from the beans. Plunge

the beans into the ice water so they cool down as quickly as possible. (The beans will

Photo: Shawnie Kelley.  All rights reserved.

cool in 1 to 2 minutes. If you leave them longer, they will become soggy and begin

to lose flavor.) Drain the beans and wrap them in a thick kitchen towel to dry. (Store

the beans in the towel in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.)

3. In a large bowl, combine the beans, chicken, and celery. Toss to blend. Add just

enough dressing to coat the ingredients lightly and evenly. Add the cilantro and toss

again. Taste for seasoning. At serving time, season with pepper.

WINE SUGGESTION: This salad calls for a slightly exotic wine. I never tire of the unique, spicy flavors and aromas of Austria’s flagship white wine, Grüner Veltliner.


Click here to purchase: 

Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]

On the Fifth Day of Salads... Egg Crepes with Mushrooms & Spinach

Photo: Shawnie Kelley

Spontaneously decided to whip up Egg Crepes with Spinach & Mushrooms this morning and they turned out wonderful, although I find them to be more akin to a thin omelette than a traditional crepe.  Both are veritable Sunday morning meals in this household. This recipe is valuable for those who have a sugar, carb or gluten restricted diet. The experimental twist placed on this recipe was to cook one crepe in a traditional steel crepe pan and a second in a non-stick crepe pan. 

Photo: Shawnie Kelley 

The results were as expected.  Both cooked perfectly, though the non-stick took a tad longer and didn't get the lovely brown sear the steel pan lends to crepes.  Bottom line-- they tasted the same. Fresh, light and healthy, yet totally fulfilling. Also, it paired beautifully with a spicy Bloody Mary. I intend to demonstrate this recipe in a armchair travel-meets-cooking class my sister and I are teaching this spring at the Upper Arlington Lifelong Learning program: click here to register for Simply French: Great Crepe Escape. 


One of my fellow bloggers, Shelby Kinnaird made this same recipe, but with her own take on ingredients. Click here to read up on her nutritional insight.  Hillary Davis, another blogger in the challenge, also commented about her morning with a most photogenic crepe. after two weeks, we inevitably have plenty of overlap with these delicious recipes, so check out Forays of a Finance Foodie's experience with the same recipe.


Feel free to use and comment on this extremely adaptable recipe from Salad as a Meal cookbook:

Egg Crepes with Mushrooms and Spinach

Photo: Shawnie Kelley

Accompanied by a fresh and lively green salad, these ultra-thin egg crepes make a perfect lunch. The egg crepe is quite simply a light envelope for whatever you want to put inside. Here I suggest mushrooms and spinach, but one could also dig into the pantry or refrigerator for all manner of herbs, vegetables, and cheese on hand.

2 SERVINGS

EQUIPMENT: A 10-INCH NONSTICK CREPE PAN; 2 WARMED PLATES.

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 large mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced

Fine sea salt

8 ounces fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg

2 ultra-fresh large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, mint, and/or basil)

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Coarse, freshly ground black pepper

Several handfuls of salad greens, tossed with dressing of choice

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and cook just until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a sieve to drain. Add the spinach and 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet. Cover and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the spinach and season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg.

2. Crack each egg into a small bowl. Lightly beat each egg with a fork (not a whisk), just enough to combine the yolk and the white well without incorporating any air bubbles, which might make the crepe dry out. Add 1 tablespoon of water to each bowl.

3. Warm the crepe pan for a few seconds over high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining oil and swirl to evenly coat the pan. Add 1 beaten egg, tilting the pan from side to side to evenly coat the bottom. Cook just until the egg is evenly set but still slightly liquid on top, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly spoon half the spinach, then half the mushrooms, herbs, and cheese in the center of the egg crepe to form a strip parallel to the pan’s handle. With a fork, carefully fold the crepe over the filling from each side. Tip the pan up against the edge of a warmed plate so that the crepe rolls out browned side up. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a second filled crepe. Serve immediately, with a green salad alongside.

VARIATIONS: Wilted Swiss chard and feta; wilted lamb’s lettuce and ricotta; salsa, cubed avocado, and grated cheese; morels in truffle cream with chives.

WINE SUGGESTION: Our winemaker, Yves Gras, makes one of the “best dry whites of the Southern Rhône,” or so says wine expert Robert Parker. We agree, for his Sablet Blanc Le Fournas is crisp, chalky, elegant, and made for everyday drinking—perfect with this simple but sublime egg crepe.


Click here to purchase: 

Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]

Fri On the Fourth Day of Salads...

This recipe is edible art!!  One of my fellow bloggers, Meg Zimbeck (a.k.a. Salad Eater), blogging from Paris, made this recipe, which turned out stunning. Click here to read what she has to say about the zucchini carpaccio and for the recipe. 
Hillary from MarcheDimanche  made the same salad, but with a very different visual result. Also, she added a savory cannele to the dish- BONUS.  Once again, Hillary creates an artisinal Salad as a Meal. I will not be making this recipe during the challenge, but sure will give it a try later this summer when the garden produces more zucchini than we know what to do with! 

Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado, Pistachios & Pistachio Oil

Photo by Meg Zimbeck. All rights reserved.

Neither my students nor I ever tire of this salad. It has all the qualities one looks for in a dish: crunch, smoothness, color, aroma. Serve it with Crispy Flatbread (page 260), Tortilla Chips (page 263), or toasted bread for added crunch. Don’t omit the fresh thyme here, for it plays an essential role in the color and aroma.

4 SERVINGS

EQUIPMENT: A SMALL JAR WITH A LID; A MANDOLINE OR A VERY SHARP CHEF’S KNIFE.

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon Lemon Zest Salt (page 306)

3 tablespoons best-quality pistachio oil (such as Leblanc) or extra-virgin olive oil

4 small, fresh zucchini (about 4 ounces each), rinsed and trimmed at both ends

1 large ripe avocado

1/2 cup salted pistachios

4 fresh lemon thyme sprigs, with flowers if possible

Fleur de sel

1. In the jar, combine the lemon juice and flavored salt. Cover with the lid and shake to blend. Add the oil and shake to blend.

2. With the mandoline or chef’s knife, slice the zucchini lengthwise as thin as possible. Arrange the slices on a platter and pour the dressing over them. Tilt the platter back and forth to coat the slices evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, so the zucchini absorbs the dressing and does not dry out.

3. Halve, pit, and peel the avocado, and cut it lengthwise into very thin slices. Carefully arrange the slices of marinated zucchini on individual salad plates, alternating with the avocado slices, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle with the pistachio nuts. Garnish with the thyme sprigs and flowers and fleur de sel. Serve.

WINE SUGGESTION: Favorite wine partners for avocado include a young Pinot Grigio, a crisp-style Chardonnay, and a fragrant, well-chilled Sauvignon Blanc.


Click here to purchase: 

Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]

Tartine by Patricia & Bread by Jacques

 Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Tartine 
It was a B.L.T. kinda day, so I looked to Patricia Wells for a different take on this homey sandwich. The Salad as a Meal cookbook includes a recipe for a BLT tartine, which is the Frenchy version of an open-faced sandwich. Yup- bacon, lettuce and tomato are definitely salad ingredients. In this case, the salad is served atop toasted bread with a light yogurt lemon dressing, rather than the traditional slathering of mayonnaise.

In lieu of buying bread, I decided to make this beyond-simple "Slow and Easy Bread in a Pot" using a  Jacques Pepin recipe included in this issue of Edible Columbus (Page 18-19. Sidebar: I wrote the article about Malabar Farm in this issue).  The bread requires only 4 ingredients to be mixed directly into a non-stick pot, let rise and bake. Did I mention the slow and easy part? This recipe literally takes five minutes to make-- if you don't count the 16 hours of rising and one hour of cooking. Mix 2 1/4 cups of tepid water (90 degrees-ish) with 1 teaspoon of quick rise yeast and a tablespoon of salt into a non-stick pot, one able to withstand 425 degrees in the oven. I used a 3.5 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven. 

Blend 4 cups of flour into the water until a sticky dough is formed. Cover and let the dough rise for an hour or so at room temperature. The dough should be bursting at the seams by this point. Scrape the dough off the lid/sides of pot, deflate the dough and reshape it into a ball. Place the lid back on the pot and pop it in the fridge for another 12-14 hours to finish proofing. I let it proof overnight. zzzzz.....  Seriously, that's it... when time came for baking, I deflated it once again and shaped it into a doughy ball filling the bottom of the pot about 3 inches deep. 

Bake uncovered at 425 for about 45 minutes. If it looks sufficiently brown, then loosely cover with foil  and bake another 15 mins... VOILA... one hour & home made bread in a pot. Simple recipe with endless variations. Ended up with a huge two-pound loaf, so I sliced the bread bruschetta style to top with the BLT salad.


From this point on, it took about 15 minutes to make the topping. Bacon. Check. Lettuce. Check. Tomatoes. Check (I tend to go light on the tomatoes for the husband's sake). In fact, I replaced the tomatoes in a smaller batch with cucumbers, which he really enjoyed.  Reminded me of the crunchy (BLC) cucumber sandwiches I made while living in England. You can see from the picture, this isn't a full-sized open faced sandwich, but rather small appetizer-sized portions. They had all the flavor one expects from a BLT, but seemed substantially lighter because of the dressing.  These were yummy enough we plan to serve BLT Tartines at our annual Kentucky Derby brunch next month.  In fact, quite a few SAAM recipes will make it onto the menu... stay tuned.

Click here to purchase:  Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season [Hardcover]