Socca

Skillet Socca with summer pesto, sausage, snap peas, basil and fresh chèvre 

Socca or Farinata has recently become popular among the gluten free community as its a quick way to get your pizza fix without that pesky gluten. I first heard of socca when I was in La Spiza, Italy. We wandered into a hole in the wall pizzeria and ordered a quatro fromaggio pie but noticed that all the locals seemed to be eating this mysterious chickpea pizza. I had to know what all the fuss was about. 

The key to an excellent socca is a well seasoned skillet, good chickpea flour and tasty toppings. I got my first recipe from my girl Grace over at Food Fitness Fresh Air and made it for a lunch at the farm. It was a big hit. Socca seems intimating but it really is a painless process. Simply make your batter with equal parts chickpea flour and water. Heat your skillet under your broiler, pour in batter, cook until golden, and top with whatever please! Enjoy! 

Summer Socca

Crust-

1 cup chickpea flour

1 cup water

Extra virgin olive oil

Combine chickpea flour, water, 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper to season. Set aside for and allow to rest. Prepare pesto.

Garden Pesto-

1/2 cup nuts

5 cloves garlic

5 cups fresh basil/herbs leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine ingredients in food processor and gradually add olive oil. Blend until desired consistency is reached. 

Preheat broiler. Allow a 10 inch cast iron skillet to heat under the broiler for 5 minutes. Carefully remove skillet and pour in chickpea batter. Return to broiler and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown. Top with pesto and cheese, sausage and other veggies. Enjoy! 

Insalata Caprese

Dea's Insalata Caprese with zebra green+ purple cherokee tomatoes with bocconcini mozzarella, licorice basil, balsamic + olive oil 

Simplicity is always the key to any dish. This is particularly true of seasonal produce and even more so when you're growing your own stuff. Caprese salads are always a favorite as mozzerlla, basil and tomatoes simply just love each other. This salad is said to represent the Italian flag showcasing the red, white and green colors. My fellow apprentice at Camp Joy put together this stunning collection of colors for lunch the other day and I couldn't help but nibble at it when she wasn't looking. The colors just invite you in and the simplicity of the balsamic and olive oil send me back to the land of  red, white and green, Italia. Of course it is important to enjoy this insalata with as fresh as possible ingredients from the tomatoes & basil to the mozz. Also a quality virgin olive oil will only add to the divinity of this dish. 

Insalata Caprese

4-5 ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced into discs

handful fresh basil

1 ball mozzarella or burrata sliced into bite sized pieces

Drizzle of good Balsamic & Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

 With a sharp knife slice tomatoes into large discs and lay on a large platter, seasoning generously. Lay mozzarella a top of tomatoes and drizzle balsamic and olive oil. Finish with basil leaves and as much salt & pepper as you please.