Mini Socca Pizzas {Gluten Free, Easy!}

Socca or Nicoise flatbreads make a wonderful, flavoursome pizza base. Made of a simple mix of chickpea flour, stock and seasoning these are grilled or pan fried to produce crispy edged pizza bases or flatbreads. Just top with your favourite pizza topping!

I recently did a Little spring cleaning of the fridge and I found a bag of chickpea flour. I don't even remember what I bought it for (which might give you a hint that it was actually a leeetle bit out of date) but I didn't want to throw it away. And then I remembered something that we ate a few years ago in Nice: socca or chickpea pancake. I always forget the name of this pancake so I have to remind myself that it's like the name of a sport.

We joined a long queue for socca and it wasn't bad but I found it a bit in need of a sauce or a topping. I much preferred the socca chips or crackers that we bought. But with some bocconcini, tomatoes and basil and other bits and pieces it becomes a delicious gluten free pizza base. It really is an easy way to make pizza bases without having to raise dough or get too complicated. A socca pizza is essentially like making a pancake (traditionally you grill this under a hot grill in a heated skillet although my grill doesn't work as well as I'd like it to so I cooked it in the frypan). Even if you can't remember the name, please give this a go if you want something simple but nutritious for dinner.

Speaking of having problems with names, at the risk of sounding like a total halfwit, have you ever mourned for someone who you thought had passed, only to realise that they were still alive?

I wish I were better at names. While I'll never forget a face, names are something that I will have to practice to get right. I do the old "repeating name trick until it sticks but sometimes at work events you tend to meet a lot of people. Sometimes people have very similar names and sometimes they have very similar jobs. And all of the time I am terrible at names.

There was one time when a person had unfortunately passed away. I was saddened by the news as I knew her on a professional level and she seemed very nice. A few months later I was stunned when I walked into a function and there she was, totally alive and waving at me again.

Gulp! It turned out that I had gotten the last name wrong! And the girl that I knew was alive and well. It was still sad about the girl who had passed away because I also knew her. But that night my jaw dropped on the ground and I was about to say a few "Madre de Dios" while clutching my rosaries (okay I don't carry rosary beads) when I saw her. All my parched mouth could mutter was "She's alive!" to a very confused Mr NQN whose arm I was clutching tightly.

It made me realise, I should get better at people's names. And names of food come to think of it!

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried socca and if so, what do you think of it? Are you better at remembering food or faces? And has that situation ever happened to you?

Mini Socca Pizzas {Gluten Free, Easy!}

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes batter resting time)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Makes 6 mini pizzas around 10-12cm in diameter

• 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (also called besan or gram flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon stock powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups stock
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato pizza sauce
• Oil for frying

Pizza topping ideas:

• 6 tomatoes, sliced (I used small tomatoes)
• 9 balls cherry bocconcini, halved
• Chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
• Cubes of roasted pumpkin and rosemary
• Fresh basil leaves

Step 1 - Whisk the flour, stock powder and black pepper with the stock and oil. Stir in the onions and let sit for 30 minutes (this produces a better texture).

Step 2 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line two trays with parchment. Heat a frypan on medium heat and add oil. Place a ladleful of batter and fry until crisp and cooked on both sides. Place on prepared trays.

Step 3 - Top the pizzas with sauce and then add tomatoes and cheese or chorizo and cheeese or pumpkin, cheese and rosemary. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.