Today i’m talking chickpeas & za’atar. In sound Middle Eastern maybe, but not today. Life is too harsh in that region right now. I’m taking them to Italy, out of the stress their birthplace is going through. And mixing it right into a chickpea flour batter to make farinata. Farinata? The chickpea flatbread so popular in Liguria. Where you find more resemblance with the eastern Mediterranean and Maghreb world in many ways. It makes sense and i like that.
FARINATA
I’m in love with farinata since a while, see picture underneath from my book Cafe Mazahar.
The classic you see on the pic below is the plain one, fairly similar to the French socca and panisse, actually from the region next to Liguria as food of course doesn’t know borders, only humans do. The most important thing is time : the batter should rest for 4-5 hours to blend well. Then you pour it in a thin layer into a mould lined with baking paper, round or rectangular. Of course you need a super hot wood oven waiting for you where you can slide the thing in for 2-3 minutes. But probably you will not have this woody luxury (like me), and well in a normal oven things work out as good as that.
APERITIVO SNACK
The flavour of the za’atar blends so well with the chickpea batter, which did not surprise me. It’s like a chickpea man’ouche (flatbread). But where the man’ouche is the regular breakfast flatbread, this is more something i like to eat as an aperitivo snack. Or maybe even as a whole feast at night, as they do in Ligura, served in a bar with cheese and cold cuts. And that’s exactly why i ‘m testing this new version. Because there is a farinata thing coming up!
October 10th - if nothing changes again (we changed the date because of all events happening) La Bottega by Chiara and yours truly are finally doing the Farinata night. In Amsterdam, if you are around come join us! book your spot here.
Something i have been wishing for since a long time. All kind of farinata, from chickpea flour but also the white farinata, farinata bianca made from flour tipo 0, same procedure. And with lots of toppings like delicious Sicilian condiments like these from Fratelli Burgio that Chiara sells in her shop. Chiara and me are super exited for this farinata get together, as we share the same obsession for great ingredients. For sure this za’atar farinata will be on the menu. Flavoured with the best Sicilian olive oil.
And when i was in Sicily last week, Chiara was there too, and we shared some great dishes at the Taberna dei Chinque Sensi in Ragusa.
like this spaghettoni mancini cacio-ragusano (cheese) e pepe
and a rigatoni pasta with local little anchovies. It was one of the last nights of eating outside, in the yellow lantern lights of the streets. It was so so nice.
The beauty of Ragusa is everywhere, it’s just stunning.
Back to real life, our Farinata night is coming soon, and next to this za’atar one, and Chiara’s delicious toppings i ‘m going to get real crazy with all kind of different toppings. Like with labneh, tangerine oil garlic crunch and pangrattato or with ricotta salata, pistachio pesto and with stracciatella, roasted tomatoes and pistachio basil oil. Or with cumin seeds and roasted paprika. I think you need to come!
For now the Farinata x za’atar x parsley recipe, highly recommended next to a nice cocktail like Negroni for all your paid Café Mazahar people. Come join my tribe!
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