Whisk on the table with backlight
A black and white still life inspired by the new recipe…
This is a delicious bread, made partially with chickpea flour, which is a rich source of vegetable protein and has a low carbohydrate content. I’ve developed this recipe in order to create a delicious bread to be served with a light onion soup, a tasty combination for a balanced meal that will warm you up nicely during the festive season.
As usual, I’ve included you all the directions you need to make the recipe using normal yeast or sourdough. If you use sourdough you can prepare the sourdough starter the night before and let it rise overnight. Then in the morning (or afternoon) you can follow the recipe as written below.
Chickpea flour bread (quickest method with normal yeast)
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes + the rising time
Ingredients
2 small breads (4 servings)
150 g chickpea flour
150 g whole spelt flour
300 g plain flour
18 g yeast
a little brown sugar
10 g salt
water
For garnish
a handful of shelled pumpkin seeds
Method (with yeast).
1. Make the yeast starter. Mix the yeast with a little bit of warm water, then add two tablespoons of flour and a pinch of brown sugar. Make a small dough, then let double in volume.
2. Separately, mix the rest of the flour with 10 g of salt and enough water to make the bread dough. Add the yeast starter and knead well.
3. Slash an X cut on the surface and then let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume (at least 2 hours).
4. Divide the dough into two equal parts, then shape two breads. Slash an X cut on both breads and garnish with the pumpkin seeds (possibly, let rise for another 30 minutes).
5. Line the base of an oven tray with baking paper, then grease with a little extra virgin olive oil and dust with flour. Bake at 200 ° C (392° F) for 25-30 minutes.
Chickpea flour bread with sourdough
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes + the rising time
2 small breads (4 servings)
150 g chickpea flour
50 g whole spelt flour
270 g plain flour
10 g salt
water
For garnish
a handful of shelled pumpkin seeds
For the starter (to be prepared the night before).
50 g sourdough (I used a semi-solid sourdough made with plain organic flour)
100 g of whole spelt flour
a little of brown sugar
a little bit of water
Make the starter.
Mix 100 g of whole spelt flour with 50 g of sourdough and a little water, then cover with some cling film and let stand overnight.
Method (with sourdough).
1. In a large bowl, mix the rest of the flour with 10 g of salt and enough water to make a soft dough.
2. Combine the dough with the sourdough starter and then add some flour, but only if necessary (the dough shouldn’t be too sticky or dry).
3. Slash a big X on the surface of the dough, cover with a cloth and let stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume (3 to 6 hours, depending on the sourdough strength).
4. Divide the dough into two equal parts and shape the breads, then slash an X on the surface and let rise once more.
5. Garnish the breads with the pumpkin seeds and bake at 200 ° C (392° F) for 25-30 minutes.
See also the Farinata recipe (a delicious focaccia made with chickpea flour)
Pane con farina di ceci (preparazione con lievito di birra)
Tempo di cottura: 25-30 minuti
Tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti + il tempo di lievitazione
Ingredienti
Per 2 panini grossi (per 4 persone)
150 g di farina di ceci
150 g di farina di farro integrale
300 g di farina 00
18 g di lievito di birra
pochissimo zucchero di canna
10 g di sale
acqua q. b.
Per guarnire
una manciata di semi di zucca (senza buccia)
Preparazione dell’impasto con lievito di birra.
1. Sciogliete il lievito di birra in poca acqua tiepida, poi aggiungete due cucchiai di farina e un pizzico di zucchero di canna ; quindi mescolate fino a creare un panetto morbido e lasciate raddoppiare di volume.
2. A parte, mischiate le farine con il sale e aggiungete gradualmente l’acqua, fino ad ottenere un impasto uniforme. Incorporate il panetto di lievito e lavorate bene.
3. Fate un taglio a croce sulla superficie e poi fate lievitare l’impasto per 2 ore.
4. Dividete l’impasto in due parti uguali, date la forma a due panini (vedi le foto) e decorate con i semi di zucca (sarebbe meglio far lievitare per altri 30 minuti).
5. Ricoprite la teglia con carta da forno, ungete con poco olio d’oliva e infornate il pane a 200° C per 25-30 minuti.
Pane con farina di ceci (preparazione con lievito madre)
Tempo di cottura: 25-30 minuti
Tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti + il tempo di lievitazione
Ingredienti
Per due panini grandi ( 4 persone)
150 g di farina di ceci
50 g di farina di farro integrale
275 g di farina 00
10 g di sale
acqua q. b.
Per guarnire
una manciata di semi di zucca (senza buccia)
Per il panetto di lievito (da preparare la sera prima).
50 g di lievito madre (uso un lievito semisolido con base di farina biologica 00)
100 g di farina di farro integrale
pochissimo zucchero di canna
acqua q. b.
Preparazione del panetto di lievito.
Mescolate 100 g di farina di farro con 50 g di lievito madre e poca acqua; quindi ricoprite con una pellicola e lasciate riposare per tutta la notte.
Preparazione dell’impasto con lievito madre.
1. In una ciotola grande, mischiate le farine con il sale e l’acqua necessaria per ottenere un impasto liscio e morbido.
2. Unite il lievitino al resto dell’impasto, aggiungendo un po’ di farina se necessario (l’impasto non deve risultare troppo umido).
3. Fate un taglio a croce sulla superficie, poi ricoprite con un panno e lasciate lievitare l’impasto fino a quando sarà raddoppiato di volume (generalmente dalle 3 alle 6 ore, ma dipende dal lievito madre).
4. Dividete l’impasto in due, date la forma a due panini (vedi le foto) e poi fate lievitare ancora.
5. Guarnite il pane con i semi di zucca e infornate a 200°C per 25-30 minuti.
Vedere anche la ricetta della Farinata
This week we are going to prepare a delicious and easy to make onion soup, served with a wonderful chickpea bread, especially made for this recipe. A meal so light and tasty that it could easily be considered comforting as well as healthy!
This soup is really well complemented by the chickpea bread (see the recipe), which is a good source of proteins and keeps the meal light and nicely balanced! The perfect winter dish to enjoy by the fire!
Enjoy!
Light onion soup (zuppa di cipolle)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
For 4 servings
1 kg of onions of your choice
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper (use plenty, because onions are naturally quite sweet)
Method.
1. Slice the onion and fry them in extra virgin olive oil.
2. Using a large pan, cover the onions with water and cook until tender.
3. With an immersion blender, puree the onions until you get a smooth and creamy mixture.
4. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then serve with the chickpea bread!
See also the pasta e fagioli recipe (another delicious winter dish!).
Zuppa di leggera cipolle
Tempo di preparazione: 10 minuti
Tempo di cottura: 40 minuti
Ingredienti
Per 4 persone
1 kg di cipolle di vostra scelta
olio extra vergine d’oliva q. b.
sale e pepe (abbondate perché le cipolle sono naturalmente dolci)
Preparazione.
1. Sbucciate e affettate le cipolle, poi fatele soffriggere in olio extra vergine d’oliva.
2. Riempite la pentola d’acqua, fino a ricoprire tutte cipolle; quindi fate cuocere, a fuoco moderato e con il coperchio, per 30-35 minuti.
3. Usando un frullatore ad immersione, frullate le cipolle fino ad ottenere un composto cremoso.
4. Condire con olio extra vergine d’oliva e abbondante sale e pepe. Servite la zuppa calda con del pane di farina di ceci.
see the Farinata and the chickpea bread recipe
see the Farinata and the chickpea bread recipe
A few months ago I published the viewers’ favourite recipes, this week I am publishing a selection of my favourite recipes, perfect for this season!
Follow the links, give them a try and let me know! 🙂
Mixed Seed Wholemeal Bread (high in fibre, very crunchy and delicious!)
Pizza Bianca Con Mozzarella E Stracchino see Make The Best Pizza Dough (Part 2)
Pasta E Fagioli (creamy borlotti bean pasta)
Wholemeal Chestnut Bread With Rosemary And Pine Nuts (try it warm, with a little piece of butter on top!)
Gluten-free Buckwheat Gnocchi (already a viewer’s favourite, these gnocchi are incredibly soft and delicious!!!really something to try!)
Special Stuffed Calamari (quite a popular quinoa recipe!)
Deliciously Intense chocolate and chestnut biscuits (dark, not very sweet, delicious served with a glass of milk)
Double Chocolate Panna Cotta (best dessert ever! This is a single serving recipe, but you can make as many as you like!)
Basically made from 3 ingredients (chickpea flour, olive oil and water), la farinata, or socca (as it is called in Nice), is a kind of chickpea focaccia, which doesn’t contain gluten and is dairy free. It is quite easy to prepare and it’s perfect for vegan and vegetarian diets, because it is a good source of proteins.
Before getting the method and recipe right it might take a few tries, especially when it comes to finding the right balance between the ingredients. It might requires a lot of olive oil in order to become crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, as it should be.
The farinata is traditionally only a few millimetres thin (see the pictures).
A few tips.
The ideal cooking method would also require a high temperature oven, like a wood stove, however, a good oven will do. Remember to use non-stick baking trays or baking paper.
The farinata has to be served quite hot, freshly made, otherwise it will become elastic and not very nice to eat. If you have leftovers, you can reheat the farinata in the oven the day after.
The farinata can also be enriched adding different ingredients; amongst the local most popular variations, you’ll find the onion and the artichoke farinata, also quite easy to make.
Farinata could be a delicious starter or aperitif, but it is also a wonderful meal when served with a nice big salad on the side.
La farinata di ceci (Genoese socca)
Ingredients
for 3 rounded backing trays (28 cm in diameter)
1,5 litre of water
500 g chickpea flour
200 ml extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method.
1. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk 1,5 litre of water with 500 g. of chickpea flour, 100 ml olive oil and some salt. Once all the ingredients are mixed well, let sit for at least 5 hours (but 10 hours would be better, so the flour can absorb the water well).
2. After the resting time, remove the froth formed on the surface of the mixture with a spoon.
3. Pour some extra virgin oil on a non-stick baking tray, then with a ladle add 1/3 of the mixture and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake the farinata at 220°C / 428°F (or higher) until golden, then turn on the grill and cook for a little longer, in order to get a nice crispy crust on top. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Also see Chickpea flour bread recipe
La farinata di ceci.
Ingredients
Per 3 teglie rotonde di 28 cm di diametro
1,5 l d’ acqua
500 g di farina di ceci
sale e pepe q.b.
200 ml di olio extra vergine d’oliva
Preparazione.
1. In una ciotola grande, mescolate energicamente con una frusta 1, 5 l di acqua, 500 g. di farina di ceci, 100 ml di olio e un po’ di sale. Una volta amalgamati bene gli ingredienti, lasciate riposare per almeno 5 ore (sarebbe meglio 10 ore, per far assorbire bene l’acqua).
2. Passato il tempo necessario, togliete con un cucchiaio la schiuma formata in superficie.
3. Versate un po’ d’olio su una teglia antiaderente, poi con un mestolo aggiungete il composto liquido (non troppo perché deve restare sottile) e condite con sale e pepe.
4. Infornate a 220° C per una decina di minuti, poi accendete il grill e lasciate che si formi una crosta croccante. Sfornate e servite!
Vedi anche la ricetta del Pane con farina di ceci e semi di zucca
See the Farinata recipe
These Sicilian biscuits (or small pastries) are gluten-free, dairy-free, delicious and very easy to prepare! It is better to use a piping bag to shape the biscuits, but if you don’t have one, you can roll out the dough with your hands to make small balls and then press them with your fingers, to obtain a cookie-like shape.
The dough needs, at least, 30 minutes of resting time, however they will taste even better if you leave them to rest in the fridge overnight. Traditionally, we garnish these biscuits with candied cherries or almonds, so if you want you can use both. Here I prepared some of these delicious pastries with my mother, I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Biscuits with almonds and candied cherries.
Preparation and cooking time: 25 minutes + resting time
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
For two oven trays
3 egg whites
80 g sugar
200 g almonds, shelled and finely chopped
candied cherries
a few drops of almond flavouring, or some orange zest (optional)
Method.
1. Grind the almonds with the sugar, using a food processor.
2. Combine the egg whites with the almond mixture and the flavourings, then put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Using a piping bag, shape the biscuits and then garnish with candied cherries.
4. Bake at 180 ° C (356° F) until golden.
Dolcetti alle mandorle con ciliegie candite.
Preparazione e cottura: 25 minutes + il riposo
Difficoltà : Facile
Ingredienti
Per 2 teglie rettangolari di media grandezza.
3 chiari d’uova
80 g di zucchero
200 g di mandorle sgusciate e tritate finemente
ciliegie candite q. b.
1 qualche goccia di aroma di mandorle, oppure una scorretta di arancia tritata (facoltativo)
Preparazione.
1. Tritate finemente le mandorle con lo zucchero.
2. Mescolate i chiari d’uova con le mandorle tritate, lo zucchero e gli aromi. Mettete il composto a riposare in frigorifero per almeno 30 minuti.
3. Usando il sac à poche, date la forma ai pasticcini (oppure formate delle palline e schiacciatele leggermente con le dita).
4. Guarnite i pasticcini con le ciliegie candite, poi infornate a 180° C fino ad ottenere dei dolcetti dorati.
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