Farinata - Italian chickpea pancake - Karlijnskitchen.com

Farinata – Italian chickpea pancake

During my holiday in Italy, I discovered farinata. An Italian pancake made from chickpea flour. A typical Italian snack that originates in Genua at the Ligurian coast. Also in the Cinque Terre, a bit more to the south, you can find it everywhere. This region is known for its focaccia’s and farinata’s and you see Foccacciaria’s and Farinateria’s in every town. The nice thing about the farinata is that this pancake is naturally gluten-free because it is made with chickpea flour. The recipe is very simple, because, next to chickpea flour, the batter only consists of olive oil and water. 

The first time that I ate farinata, at a small pizzeria close to our apartment in Marola, it was quite a thick heavy pancake. Our first conclusion was that the structure was like a pancake. We were expecting something like a pizza (because we bought it in a pizzeria), so that was quite a surprise. Matic didn’t like the farinata that much, probably because of the chickpea flavour that it has, me (as a huge falafel and hummus lover) liked it a lot. The second time I ate it the farinata was thinner and more crunchy on the outside. Also very good, but I liked both of them equally. 

Usually, you eat the farinata plain, but some farinateria’s also serve them with pesto or soft white cheese on top. That also sounded quite good! 

The farinata I made became quite thick with a crunchy outside, like the first farinata that I had in Italy. I used a round 31 cm pizza tin (12 inches) that I bought in Italy. You can also use a skillet or large iron pan that can go into the oven. Next time, I am going to try the recipe with a bit less batter and a higher oven temperature to see if I can also make a very thin and crunchy farinata. I’ll let you know how that turns out!

Farinata - Italian chickpea pancake - Karlijnskitchen.com

What do you need

  • A large round 31 cm pizza tin or ovenproof pan or skillet (12 inches)
  • 200 g chickpea flour 
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 600 ml water 
  • A large pinch of salt
  • Black pepper
  • Fresh rosemary (dried is also ok, but fresh tastes better!)

Notes for Fodmappers

Canned chickpeas are low FODMAP up to 40 g per portion. Dried chickpeas are higher in FODMAPs and chickpea flour has not been tested yet, but it is expected to be high in FODMAPs. I personally think that one piece of the farinata (1/10 of the entire pancake) is still moderately low FODMAP, because it only contains 20 g chickpea flour, but it is not recommended to try this in the elimination phase. I could eat two pieces without problems, but this can differ per person. 

How to prepare the Farinata

  1. Put the chickpea flour into a bowl. Add some salt and black pepper. Pour the water into the bowl slowly while stirring continuously, until you get a smooth mixture without any lumps. 
  2. Leave the mixture to rest for at least 4 hours. Check the batter every hour. If foam forms on top of the batter, remove it with a spatula. Stir the batter through after that. 
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
  4. Stir the olive oil into the batter.
  5. Grease the tin or pan with olive oil. Pour the batter in and sprinkle rosemary and black pepper on top. 
  6. Bake the farinata for about 35 minutes in the oven. 
  7. Cut the farinata in unequal triangles. I cut mine into 10 pieces. It’s lovely as a snack with some drinks or as a side dish.

Will you let me know if you make my recipe? I would love it if you would share your creations with me using the hashtag #karlijnskitchen on Instagram or by tagging me at @karlijnskitchen

Farinata - Italian chickpea pancake - Karlijnskitchen.com

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Farinata - Italiaanse pannenkoek van kikkererwtenmeel - Karlijnskitchen.com

Farinata – Italian chickpea pancake


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4 from 1 review

  • Author: Karlijn
  • Total Time: 39 mins
  • Servings: 10 1x

Description

In La Spezia I discovered farinata. An Italian pancake made with chickpea flour that is naturally gluten-free. A great snack with some drinks!


Ingredients

Scale
  • A large round 31 cm pizza tin or ovenproof pan or skillet (12 inches)
  • 200 g chickpea flour
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 600 ml water
  • A large pinch of salt
  • Black pepper
  • Fresh rosemary (dried is also ok, but fresh tastes better!)

Instructions

  1. Put the chickpea flour into a bowl. Add some salt and black pepper. Pour the water into the bowl slowly while stirring continuously, until you get a smooth mixture without any lumps.
  2. Leave the mixture to rest for at least 4 hours. Check the batter every hour. If foam forms on top of the batter, remove it with a spatula. Stir the batter through after that.
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
  4. Stir the olive oil into the batter.
  5. Grease the tin or pan with olive oil. Pour the batter in and sprinkle rosemary and black pepper on top.
  6. Bake the farinata for about 35 minutes in the oven.
  7. Cut the farinata in unequal triangles. I cut mine into 10 pieces. It’s lovely as a snack with some drinks or as a side dish.

Notes

Canned chickpeas are low FODMAP up to 40 g per portion. Dried chickpeas are higher in FODMAps and chickpea flour has not been tested yet, but it is expected to be high in FODMAPs. I personally think that one piece of the farinata (1/10 of the entire pancake) is still moderately low FODMAP because it only contains 20 g of chickpea flour, but it is not recommended to try this in the elimination phase. I could eat two pieces without problems, but this can differ per person.

  • Prep Time: 4 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
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