Sunday Cooking–Torta di Ceci

Torta di Ceci

Sundays are my favorite day of the week and always have been. Sunday was always a relaxed, family-oriented day that ended with the deliciousness of a shared meal. My Grandma would always come over for Sunday dinner and the house would be filled with the aroma of rosemary infused yumminess from the oven. My dad was born and raised on a vineyard/olive-oil producing farm in Tuscany where rosemary grows wild and he uses rosemary in many of his signature dishes that he would make for Sunday dinner. I was missing my dad a bit this Sunday and decided to try out a family recipe I have not made in a very long time. I am not eating eggs or grains right now and was craving something with a bread-like consistency, so this was a great option.

Although people always associate Tuscany with gluteneous pasta and bread, there are a ton of naturally gluten-free native dishes that my Italian relatives made for me when I visited Italy just a few months after learning I was gluten-intolerant. One of the big surprises was the savory and pizza-like flatbread Torta di Ceci I enjoyed for the first time at a pizzeria in the port town Livorno (I did not know at the time I was taking a huge cross-contamination risk eating at the pizzeria). Ceci means garbanzo bean in Italian, Torta means cake (a savory cake in this instance). Depending on the city in Tuscany you are in, it is also called Cecinata (south of Liguria) or Farinata (in Liguria, where it originated).  It is traditionally served with no toppings and black pepper is served on the side. I did see it made topped with marinated ad thin-sliced melanzane (eggplant). Each time I prepare this dish I am getting better and better at making it taste like it did at the pizzeria: olive oily, dense, and crispy. This time I added a French-inspired twist. In Nice they make a very similar dish called Socca which frequently includes sliced onions and a liberal dose of black pepper. My sweetie loves this combo so I knew it would be a success and it was. This would make a mean pizza crust, but the only topping I’ve ever tried is pesto. I find using the cast iron skillet is essential, it comes out too dry with a glass baking dish in my opinion.

Torta di Ceci:

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients/Equipment

• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2t sea salt
• 1/2t black pepper (warning: this is a lot of pepper, cut down or omit if you are pepper-wary and prefer your food on the bland side)
• 1.5t minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 3T extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil
• 1/2 medium white or yellow onion, sliced thin
• Medium to Large Cast-Iron Skillet (you can use a baking dish if you don’t have one)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with cast-iron skillet inside.
2. Whisk together water and flour in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in salt, pepper, and rosemary. Whisk in 2T of the olive oil. Cover bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. After sitting the batter should be the consistency of cream. Stir in sliced onion.
3. Remove skillet from oven and coat with remaining 1T of olive oil. Pour in batter, spreading evenly with a spoon. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until Torta is firm and edges are set–top probably won’t be browned. Put under broil for 1-2 minutes to brown top a bit in spots. Serve warm!