Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Farinata – Why Didn’t You Wish for This Sooner!

The third best part of this job, after the fame and fortune, is learning about unique, new foods; and this farinata video is a perfect example! Until it was requested by a Vlad Kiperman (if that is his real name), I had no idea this tasty, and dead simple recipe even existed. It’s so good, I’m kind of sad the discovery came so late in life.

Farinata is nothing more than a simple garbanzo bean flour batter, which is spiked with olive oil and salt, and baked in a very hot oven. The surface gets crusty, the edges get crispy, and yet the inside stays moist and sort of creamy. The texture is easy to explain, but the taste, not so much.

This is so simple and subtly flavored that it’s a kind of hard to describe. You may be familiar with the taste of garbanzo (aka chickpeas) in things like hummus and falafel, but here it’s not combined with other strongly flavored ingredients, and so you’re getting pure, un-cut bean. It’s going to be easier for me if you just make it and taste for yourself.

Like I said in the video, if you’ve never made this before, you should probably try a plain version to get an idea of what this stuff is all about, but after that, the sky's the limit. The options for add-ons to the batter, as well as potential toppings are virtually limitless. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Pan Note: I know many will ask, so I’ll just say it now; yes, you can use any oven-safe 10-inch pan to make this, but I have a tough time believing it will come out as wonderfully textured as it would if you use a cast-iron skillet. Putting the batter into a smoking hot pan seems to be one of the big keys here.

Ingredients for 6 portions (one 10-inch cast iron pan):
2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (about 1 tsp fine table salt)
1/2 tsp finely minced rosemary leaves, optional
5 tbsp olive oil, divided (use 3 tablespoons for the batter, and 2 tablespoons for the pan)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Gluten-Free and Loving It


By the way, since this is made from a legume-based flour, farinata is 100% gluten-free, which should make a small, but very passionate group of foodwishers happy. My usually modus operandi when it comes to such requests and questions is a referral to Allrecipe.com’s impressive, and extensive gluten-free recipe collection, or one of my many talented GF food blogger friends. 

Speaking of which, Shauna and Danny from Gluten-Free Girl (the Beyonce and Jay-Z of GF bloggers), have a new cookbook out called, Gluten-Free Girl Every Day. If you happen to swing that way, check it out. The recipes sound wonderful, the photos are gorgeous, and the book’s getting rave reviews.

38 comments:

Rita said...

i just hope i could find garbanzo bean flour. i don't know if they sell that here in germany. i sure would love to give that a try.

Chef John said...

I'm sure you cam! It would be found in any ethnic grocery stores, or just order online!

Michele Cryan said...

So late in life?!! Chef John, you are a lot of things but late in life is not one of them. I could tell you some of the other things but then you might blcok me from your blog...and I love your blog!

Unknown said...

I must be from Chicago. I ate the whole freaking thing.

I wonder if there's a way to get the whole thing to be crust, because that was the best part.

Unknown said...

thank you for giving me an idea for what to use my leftover chickpea flour on!

Dustin said...

Could you do some dessert/breakfast toppings?? Like maybe maple syrup and powdered sugar?

Chef John said...

Yes! This probably would be great for breakfast.

Roberto said...

I live in southern Piemonte just north of Liguria, the home of Farinata. Typically it's cooked in a wood oven in a special, low sided, heavy, copper pan tinned on the inside only. It's like an American "pizza pan" but much heavier, so your iron skillet method is the best bet if you don't have a genuine Farinata pan. Farinata should be at least 1/4 inch thick, but nor more than 1/2 inch. To respond to your readers, it should NOT be all crust because you lose the contrast between the crust and creamy part. I suppose you're the boss of your own Farinata, but around here additional ingredients include Rosemary OR diced onions OR Gorgonzola cheese OR bianchetti (tiny fish i.e. whitebait). Only ONE of these is used and it's always mixed into the batter. I don't see Farinata topped with anything other than pepper after it's cooked. Farinata is NOT pizza! I have also never seen a sweet version or a breakfast version. Suit yourself I suppose, but it won't be classic Farinata.

Kimbo said...

Could you also just use garbanzo beans (cooked obviously) along with some water and a blender to make the batter?

philogaia said...

Chef, that is one darned nice iron skillet for a man who claims he doesn't like iron skillets. :)

And on a similar subject while I use my iron for most things I'm now using and loving my All-Clad stainless steel skillet. I learned it can be seasoned with coconut or palm oil similar to iron and it becomes more non-stick than my chemical non-stick pans which have now been kicked to the curb. I'm guessing you also knew that trick which is why you have successfully used your All-Clad stainless for years.

Cindy said...

Hi Chef John!! I´m from Argentina, and here, this is called "Faina" and we eat it with pizza.. We just put a pizza slice on top of a "Faina" slice and eat them together. Best served with cold beer. Perfect friday night. LOVE YOUR BLOG. So thank you!! :D

Jude said...

Is this recipe the same item as panelle chickpea fritters served on rolls? I remember that the patty or squares were deep fried but also savory and creamy.

Unknown said...

Chef-

Not really related to the Farinata, and not sure how far in advance you plan recipes for the blog. HOWEVER as I'm sure you're aware, Thanksgivukkah (Thanksgiving+Hannukah), is a literally once in a lifetime culinary event that is looming large. It only comes once EVERY 70,000 years! Don't you think you should commemorate the first Thanksgivukkah in human history with a Thanksgivukkah themed recipe?

You've to got to givvukkah the people what they want.

Love,

Jack

Unknown said...

Oh! Chef John. Thanks so much for this recipe. I happened to have chickpea flour sitting in my cupboard un-opened for 2 months. I tried the recipe last night and it was awesome. I wish I could send you a photo of the one I made. I added a bit of chilli flakes to mine for some heat.

ryu said...

Hey chef john, your recipe just reminded me of this very nice swedish dish called "Smorgastarta"(gesundheit) you should try it sometime :) (loved this recipe by the way)

Elisabeth McGregor said...

I have a huge bag of chickpea flour. Will certainly be trying this. Sounds amazing.
Lx

Estoy_Listo said...

Another winner---fixed it last night. Quick, easy, and good. I found the flour in the bulk section of the local market, and Bob's Red Mill sells it packaged too.

Thanks, Boss.

Rostand Reads said...

Funny how we 'foodies' happen to have chickpea flour in our pantries with no idea what to do with it! Cracks me up! Trying tonight with balsamic chicken. Wish me luck!

Unknown said...

This is excellent! We ate it plain the first time. Yesterday I made it again for a cocktail party and served it with a chunky tomato and sausage sauce on the side (and pesto on the side for vegetarians.). Both went really well, but it was amazing with a smear of pesto. Thanks Chef John - your recipes are staples in our house!

Rostand Reads said...

I'm so obnoxioius! I wanted more flavor than appeared in recipe so added half organic veg stock and some parmesan cheese, then fresh ground pepper. Hubby loved it! But will do original...promise!!

kaguyah said...

I just made the batter....let's wait and see:-)

Just a small advice for Rita from Germany that this flour in German is called superfine kichererbsemehl and should be available in any Indian or Turkish grocery shop. Hope that helps

Fereshtina said...

Is it Okay to reheat this?
I am thinking of making it for a potluck!

Mette said...

This was such a great surprise - thanks chef John!

Anonymous said...

Hi - i heard there are two types of garbanzo bean flour. One of them is made from uncooked chickpease - I think this is called besan flour. It is awful in baking but good for frying and as a thickening agent in soups and sauces.. Did you use the cooked version of garbanzo bean flour in this recipe?

Chef John said...

Don't think it's cooked. I believe it's just the ground dried beans.

Loc Ha said...

Chef John, thank you so much for this recipe. I just baked it and it came out perfect, so much flavor and very crispy. I couldn't stop eating it. What I like most about it is you don't taste the bean in it. You know what I mean? When I made pancakes with it, I don't like the gummy texture and the very strong bean flavor. With this one, everything is just perfect. Now this will become my only flatbread recipe. I love you chef John. Muahhhh.

nowhyok said...

Dear Chef John,

You mention a tricked-out version of this . . . Cauliflower/farinata-hybrid gluten-free pizza? Farinata quiche? Dying to know what you had in mind

Anonymous said...

Loved it. Went with the rosemary, salt, and pepper exactly as the recipe says, and the farinata came out great! Ate half of it myself, but the whole thing was gone by the end of the night. I was surprised because I usually don't like the crust of things, but the crust was my favorite part. Trying to think of what extra things I'll put on it next time.

Andrew Beach, your Realtor said...

Can you substitute white bean flower as I have some aversion to garbanzo beans.

OMW2OWN said...

Hi CJ :)

I havent tryed it yet but im sure as someone mentioned above I have cheekpea flour in the pantry I didnt know what to do with hehe.
seeing you skimming the top foam for a non farty dish reninded me of a little trick we use in israel to turn farty foods in to non farty.
We add 1/2 tsp of baking soda to any bean doring the cooking stage and that way we donk gass eatch other every saterday after eating our traditional saturday morning Hamin (a bean and beef stew that is cooked over night in the oven).

Bonapetite and Cheers
Edith.

Unknown said...

Chef John,

This sounded like a great breakfast recipe and I was all ready to make it when I went back to review the video and realized there is a two hour wait after the first step. I don't know about you but I usually wake up hungry!

Is it possible to mix the garbanzo flour and water the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight? Also, did you use extra virgin olive oil throughout the recipe or some other kind with a higher smoke point in the super-hot pan?

Thanks!

Ari

Billy MacKenzie said...

My olive oil turned into smoke upon touching the pan. Haven't made it since, but I'm gonna suck it up and try again tomorrow. I like olive oil for low temps but find other oils work better for me when using high temps. Why Chef John does the olive oil bend to your every whim? What Demonry is this?

Vlad Kiperman said...

Chef, Vlad is my real name.

I first tasted this amazing food in Pisa, Italy, back in 1999, on my honeymoon. Thanks for showcasing it. In Pisa a thin slab of farinatta was served atop a slice of cheese pizza. I wanted to get your take on it. Glad you enjoyed it.

Okay. Thanks again!

Unknown said...

Please, can i make it on stove ? Tks

SY said...

Besan is just the Indian name for this flour. If you're a cheapskate like me, you'll buy besan at an Indian grocery rather than garbanzo flour at a health food store or organic section of Whole Paycheck. Two other versions of this dish are socca (which is from France) and cheela (which is from India). It's been a staple in our household for many years.

It could be made on a stovetop, then the top browned under a broiler, but it won't be nearly as delicious. And I can attest that the results in an All Clad pan are every bit as good as with cast iron. Just sayin'.

Gemfyre said...

I too have an excess of Besan flour in the cupboard - I guess I thought I was going to make pakoras more often - they are delicious, but deep frying is a pain!

Anyway, none of my pans were quite the right size, so I went for my 11inch Scanpan frypan. My batter also didn't develop much foam on top - maybe because the flour is so old?? Oh, AND my oven didn't even get to 260C (which is 500F), the knob went to 250 so I put it a bit further than that and turned on the fan, even then the thermometer only ever read as high as 230C

Despite all this, it worked wonderfully and was delicious!! I served it with a puy lentil soup. I want the same thing for lunch again tomorrow. Oh, and no excessive farting yet!

Seoul Survivor said...

If you're heating up the oven to 500 degrees, is there any reason not to simply heat the cast iron pan in the oven at the same time? Why waste the heat?
1) heat the oven with the pan inside. 2) use an oil like peanut with a high smoke point. 3) carefully remove smoking hot pan when it's at temperature (try 450) to add batter. 4) return the pan to the oven to bake.

Brett M Judd said...

What an amazing recipe. And as always, Chef John's instructions never disappoint.

I've been playing with farinata since learning I can not have eggs, milk, or wheat. This is the only recipe that actually tastes amazing, not just affair.
We are fresh Rosemary, be typed the finessed bread with olive oil and pepper. I added a thin slice of manchego cheese and bacon. Amazing without and with.