Shredded Vegetable Socca
Socca is street food in Nice, in the South of France. This Los Angeles version, served at the restaurant Sqirl, makes it a meal by adding shredded vegetables to the chickpea pancake and tops it with greens and creamy labneh. This recipe calls for carrots, winter squash (Sqirl generally uses kabocha) or zucchini — pick one and proceed. Add a fried egg on top to make it heartier, if you'd like.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 1pound/455 grams zucchini, carrots or winter squash, peeled and coarsely grated on the large holes of a box grater or with the grating attachment of a food processor
- Fine sea salt
- ¼teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼teaspoon coriander seeds
- ¼teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4large eggs
- 1clove garlic, minced
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 3tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅔cup/80 grams chickpea flour
- Black pepper
- Pinch of ground cinnamon (use only with winter squash)
- Pinch of ground ginger (use with squash)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, more as needed
- ½cup/120 milliliters labneh or whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 3cups/60 grams spicy salad greens (such as watercress, arugula or baby mustard greens)
- 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Step 1
Toss grated vegetable with big pinches of salt. Put it in a fine-mesh sieve and let drain, squeezing every so often so that the vegetable releases its water, for at least 15 minutes.Step 2
Meanwhile, combine cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast the spices, shaking the pan often, until fragrant but not burned, about 3 minutes. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind toasted spices to a powder.Step 3
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add drained vegetable, along with garlic, oregano, mint, cilantro, chickpea flour and toasted spices. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and mix well. If you are using winter squash, stir in cinnamon and ginger. (The pancake batter can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge.)Step 4
Melt butter in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Spoon in two 1/2 cupfuls of the pancake batter. Use the back of your spoon or a spatula to flatten each to 1/2-inch thick. Cook, rotating the skillet for even browning, until pancakes are nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Flip, then cook the second side for another few minutes. Transfer pancakes to a plate. Repeat to make 2 more pancakes, adding butter to the skillet if needed.Step 5
Season labneh or yogurt with salt to taste. Just before serving, toss greens with lemon juice, oil and salt and pepper. Top each pancake with a dollop of labneh or yogurt and a tangle of greens.