Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes appeal to me as a scientist- they are precise, use ingredients in ways that I’ve never used before and always deliver. For example- this recipe has 1/2 of a spring onion and 2 slices of lemon diced up small (pith and all). I’ve made socca before- it is a French-Moroccan chickpea crepe. Indians are very familiar with besan or chickpea flour and the alchemy of deliciouness when it is fried. But this recipe finally showed me why people rhapsodize about socca. Now I know what to expect when I finally visit the French riviera. The recipe is based off this Guardian recipe.

For the socca batter- In a 10 inch non stick oven safe pan- add 90 ml of olive oil and 3 finely diced shallots (or half of a large red onion diced) and cook over medium heat stirring every few minutes for 15-20 minutes till golden brown and very soft. Cool for 10 minutes. Whisk 150 g of chickpea flour, 370 ml of water, 1/2 tsp of baking powder together till smooth. Add 100 gm of cooked chickpeas (tinned or pressure cooked for 15 minutes after soaking for 12 hours), 1 tsp of fresh thyme, zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the cooled oil and onion mixture and let the batter rest for 30 minutes. It will thicken up some.

For the chickpea salsa- To 100 g of cooked chickpeas, add 1 tsp of finely chopped rosemary, 1/2 tbsp of finely chopped parsley, 1/2 a clove of garlic (yes finely chopped or grated), 1/2 a spring onion (also finely chopped), salt, pepper and 60 ml of good olive oil. Squeeze the juice from the lemon you had zested into the bowl. Take another lemon and slice off 2 thin slices from the middle. Remove the seeds and finely chop the 2 lemon slices- pith and all and add to the salsa. Crush the chickpeas slightly so all of the flavors meld together and let it hang out.

Cook the socca-This is slightly tedious and requires trips to the oven and stove and back- this is a restaurant quality dish though.Heat oven to 350F. Wipe down the 10 inch oven proof non stick skillet and heat a tbsp of oil. Add 1/4 of the batter (about a cup or so) to the skillet. Cook stovetop for a minute or two and then in the oven for 5-6 minutes till the top is set and then back on stovetop- flip and cook another 3 minutes till the top is charred and the bottom is crispy and golden brown.

Split into quarters and serve with salsa. This is a truly outstanding dish. The next time- I will use 2 pans to alternate oven and stove to make dinner quicker.