Hummus is an extremely popular spread today in the United States, found in most supermarkets. Made with chickpeas, olive oil and sesame tahini, people have been enjoying hummus at least since the 18th century. But in Arabic hummus really means chickpea or garbanzo bean. And chickpeas are extremely nutritious and versatile. I’ve been discovering the wonders of chickpea flour, first as a gluten-free alternative and now just because it is so easy to use and delicious, like in this recipe for Socca, Chickpea Flour Crêpes.
1 onion
1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil
tahini dressing
In a medium size bowl mix the chickpea flour and pepper and cumin, if using. Whisk in the warm water and make a smooth batter. Mix in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside.
Chop the onion into 1/2 to 1 inch size pieces. Heat a grill pan (I use a 12 inch round cast iron grill for this recipe) on medium. Lightly season the pan with about one teaspoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onions. Spread them out over the pan and cook, moving the pieces around occasionally. The onion pieces should become lightly brown and translucent. If they start to blacken lower the heat. When nicely browned, remove half of the onions to a small bowl and set aside.
Pour the garbanzo bean flour mixture over the remaining onions in the grill pan. With the back of a large wooden spoon, even out the batter. Let it cook until the top is dry and the sides start to peel in a little. With a spatula carefully lift underneath all around the edges, to free it from the pan. The entire piece can be lifted and flipped to cook the other side. If you are not comfortable lifting the entire piece whole, you may cut it in half or quarters and flip to cook the other side. Let it cook another 3 minutes and remove from heat.
Serve topped with the remaining grilled onions and drizzle with tahini dressing.