{"id":7194,"date":"2009-06-22T10:56:32","date_gmt":"2009-06-22T17:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ecurry.com\/blog\/?p=7194"},"modified":"2013-02-22T11:58:38","modified_gmt":"2013-02-22T18:58:38","slug":"farinata-with-grilled-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ecurry.com\/blog\/starters-snacks\/farinata-with-grilled-vegetables\/","title":{"rendered":"Farinata with Grilled Vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/strong><\/em>\"farinata-with-summer-veggies-5\"<\/p>\n


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\nA local street food of Italy, in the Liguria Region, Farinata is definitely a comfort food that feeds your soul too. It is thicker than a crepe, thinner than a pancake, more like a thin crust pizza base & can be eaten like a pizza – plain, stuffed or topped. Very similar to the Indian Lentil Crepes like Chillas & Adais, Farinata is a GLUTEN FREE delight, made of chickpea flour.<\/p>\n

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“Farinata is a type of baked Italian pancake, or more accurately a flatbread, since pancakes tend to be sweet and farinata is a savory food. Generally, farinata is considered a street food, and it is closely related to pizza, often served with pizza toppings or used to wrap pizza-like ingredients. When traveling in Mediterranean regions of Italy, farinata is often offered as street food. It can also be made at home.<\/em><\/p>\n

The origins of farinata can be found in Liguria, in Northwestern Italy. It is also sometimes called calentita, or panissa when it is fried, especially in Gibraltar, a region of Europe which has been heavily influenced by Italian cooking. Farinata is usually viewed as a snack food, with street vendors making single large pieces of the flatbread and cutting pieces off as requested by customers.” (Source<\/a>)
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Well, this recipe did not go as planned.<\/strong><\/em> I had everything at hand, ready to bake the farinata in the oven & my oven stopped working!\u00a0 I had used the oven the day before, & it did not give me any warning.\u00a0 I just had to go about making this without the oven.\u00a0 I did it on the stove top<\/strong>.\u00a0 It did not turn out to be much different.
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\n\"farinata-with-summer-veggies3\"<\/p>\n

If you want the preparation of the Farinata in the oven, I have it here<\/a><\/strong>. Today I’ll only write the stove top method. Coming to think about it, I was pretty happy I did it – it took less time, cooked pretty well, nice golden crispy & now I know another way to do it.
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Farinata with Grilled Vegetables<\/h3>\n


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Ingredients:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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  1. 3\/4\u00a0 cup chick pea flour\/besan\/garbanzo flour<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. 1.5 cups of tepid water (more or less; the batter will be more like a thick soup consistency)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. 1 tablespoons of olive oil to mix with chick pea batter<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. \u00a0salt<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil for the skillet<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. Freshly & Roughly crushed Black peppercorns<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. Herbs like Rosemary
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  8. Well seasoned cast iron skillet (feel free to use any skillet. I prefer to cook in the iron skillet as it retains heat much better & cooks uniformly than any others I have used)
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    \nFor the Topping:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    An Assortment of Vegetables to be grilled for the topping; I have used all summer vegetables here –<\/p>\n

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    1. Bell peppers (Capsicum) – Red & Green<\/strong><\/li>\n
    2. Squash\/Zucchini<\/strong><\/li>\n
    3. Eggplant (brinjal\/aubergine)<\/strong><\/li>\n
    4. Sweet Onions<\/strong><\/li>\n
    5. Tomatoes<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Note:<\/em> Use vegetables as per your preference.
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      \nPreparation:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Grill all the vegetables; Cool, Peel & chop\/slice & set aside. (I\u00a0 grilled them on the stove top grill pan.)
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      Mix the water and the flour with a whisk, making sure\u00a0there are no lumps, add salt and mix again.\u00a0It should have the consistency of a crepe batter. Let it sit for atleast 4 hours (Or even better overnight. I did it for about 4 hours).<\/p>\n

      Coat the skillet with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil & heat till almost smoking hot – a drop of water on the skillet should make it sizzle!<\/p>\n

      Make sure here before you pour the batter that the pan should be at level; if not the farinata will be thicker on one side & thinner on the other.<\/p>\n

      Skim off the surface foam from the batter. Whisk in the Freshly Ground Black Pepper & herb with the batter. Pour the batter in the hot skillet & turn it around for it to spread evenly. (mind it the skillet is HOT). Cook for about 2 minutes.<\/p>\n

      Reduce the heat to medium & Cover the skillet & cook for about another 3-4 minutes or till the top of the farinata seems dry & you will notice tiny bubble like holes on the top. Do a toothpick test. It should come out fairly clean. The sides should start to crisp & brown by this time.<\/p>\n

      With a spatula, try to lift one side. If you see that the underneath is golden yellow & with brown spots, Carefully loosen the sides & the underneath & flip it over; make sure not to break the farinata. (If you find it difficult to lift it, cook for some more time at a higher heat).<\/p>\n

      Top the farinata base with the grilled vegetables you had set aside earlier.\u00a0 Increase the heat of the stove till the bottom & of the base is crispy golden\/light brown.<\/p>\n

      \"farinata-with-summer-veggies2\"<\/p>\n

      Once done, take it off the heat. Serve warm while still crispy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Slice it; Garnish with more freshly ground black pepper.<\/p>\n

      \"farinata-with-summer-veggies4\"
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      \n& serve just by itself, or topped with Marinated Feta Cheese, like I did on my share.<\/p>\n

      \"farinata-with-summer-veggies1\"<\/p>\n

      Now would you feel guilty indulging in this colorful summer treat? I would not. We all love Farinatas! A Gluten free, veggie loaded is snack always sings to our soul & fulfills it too. Sending this to HOTM<\/a>, hosted by dear Ilva of Lucullian Delight<\/a>. The theme this month is June’s Best Produce. I have all the wonderful vegetables here that the pretty\u00a0 summer has been offering us.<\/p>\n

      Party Tip:<\/strong><\/em>
      \nFor a party, it is a great idea to serve slices of farinata, with an assortment of topping. Allow the guests to pick & choose their own topping on their slices. Use any topping you would use on a bruschetta or a pizza; fresh tomatoes, grilled veggies, cheese, chutney are a few of them.<\/p>\n


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      \n<\/strong>Related Posts:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Ceci Frito or Fried Chickpeas<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      The Terrific Tandoori Tofu<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Fusion Farinata<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n


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