FARINATA WITH FENNEL, WILD MUSHROOMS AND PARSLEY
Spring has sprung… a leak it might seem!!! After weeks of cold, rain and lush growth the sun is pushing through and reminding us that it is indeed May and not April… This is a recipe that I’ve enjoyed a few times since we first cooked it in December when Nick and I noticed that the farmers markets were rife with mushroom varieties and we were looking for something unctuous and hearty to warm our bellies while not adding to the sluggish feeling that can accompany this time of year.
Comfortingly stodgy like thick-set polenta, a chickpea pancake known as farinata in Italy or Socca in France is super satisfying when paired with bold flavours including garlic and herbs and plenty of good olive oil. I took a traditional farinata recipe — essentially chickpea flour and water — and swapped half of the chickpea flour (mostly referred to as gram across this website) for rice flour since a pulse plus a grain makes a complete protein, plus from an Ayurvedic perspective for anyone with Vata tendencies the rice balances out the very Vata-like chickpea which makes up the bulk of the original dish.
Those astringent and essentially drying qualities of chickpeas and chickpea flour are however excellent not only during late winter and spring when the Kapha Dosha has built up but especially to balance out those deliciously seasonal wild mushrooms which are by their very nature grounding and can leave you feeling heavy if overdone. Fennel is my vegetable of the moment and adds a subtle anise flavour to the dish — pungent and astringent, it balances both Kapha and Vata. Garlic is an excellent way to build some heat in the body and fire up the Agni and I’ve included parsley (or you can sub in sage) and some ajwain, all of which are also hot and pungent — one of my Vaidya, Seema Datta, recommends using the spice ajwain whenever you are eating something difficult to digest. Serve this dish with some fresh steamed greens if you like for a pop of colour and some extra Kapha-busting qualities!
This is a recipe which includes a bit of prep and wait — start the batter the night before or even a few hours before (essentially just mix your flours and water together) to ensure a lump-free consistency and to make a more digestible pancake.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2-3
For the batter
125g chickpea flour
125g rice flour
800ml warm water
80ml extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tbsp of ghee for cooking, or your choice of vegetable oil
For the mushrooms
1tbsp ghee or butter, or your choice of vegetable oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g mixed wild mushrooms
1 medium/large fennel bulb (approx. 350g)
25g parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Sea salt, to taste
¼ tsp ajwain
METHOD
The night before: In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour and rice flour with the sea salt and water to form a thin smooth batter. Cover and leave to rest on the counter overnight.
To start cooking, prep the vegetables first. Clean the mushrooms with a clean damp cloth and halve or chop if large. Wash the fennel bulb, remove the woody green parts and the base (save for soups/stocks) and slice. Wash and rough chop the parsley and finely chop the garlic.
Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan and whisk the 80 ml of the extra virgin olive oil into the batter.
Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a large cast iron pan (I use a 25cm diameter pan) over a high heat until almost smoking, then pour roughly a third of the batter into the pan and swirl quickly to coat the base until bubbling. Pour in the rest of the batter, then transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or so until golden on top and browned at the edges but still soft in the middle.
While the pancake is cooking, heat a tablespoon of ghee and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil iin a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the ajwain, allow it to splutter, then the fennel and gently fry until just tender. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until soft but with a bit of bite. Fold in the parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
To serve, top the pan of farinata with the mushrooms and fennel and serve at the table along with simple steamed greens.
For more chickpea flour/gram recipes, see below:
