Perfect Gluten-Free Vegetarian Pizza: Sumac and Rosemary Karantita / Socca made with Chickpea Flour

Recipe Description:

Socca (or karantita) is the ideal gluten-free pizza crust — made of only three main ingredients: chickpea flour, water and olive oil. In this version, I spiced it with sumac and fresh rosemary. Once pan-fried, you can add your toppings of choice. For this vegetarian version, I added caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes, black olives, and a vegan cashew cheese spread. It’s also delicious with soft goat cheese and anchovies!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Servings: Serves 4

Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Ingredients:

For the socca pizza crust:

2 cups chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour, garam flour, besan), soaked overnight in water and a tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar

1 ½ cups filtered water

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (if not vegan, use grass-fed ghee instead for tastier crust)

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoon dried sumac

2 teaspoons unrefined salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon smoked chipotle chili pepper powder (optional – use only if you like a spicy taste)

For the toppings:

Toppings of your choice. Your imagination’s the limit! I used the following:

4 stalks green onions, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

8-10 mixture medium crimini and white button mushrooms, chopped

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3-4 tablespoons homemade cashew “cheese”

15-20 pitted olives, sliced in half

Dash of unrefined sea salt and pepper

Recipe Instructions:

Soak the chickpea flour overnight: In a bowl, add 2 cups of chickpea flour, 1½ cups of filtered water, and 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar. Whisk together until there are no lumps. Cover and leave batter overnight on the counter.

Spice up the batter. The next day, you’ll have a batter that is ready to use! For this Middle Eastern take on socca, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried sumac, 2 teaspoons unrefined salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and if you want a little kick, ¾ teaspoon chili pepper powder.

Oil the pan. Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a 12” or 14” cast iron or nonstick pan, make sure the bottom and sides are oiled, then pour in the spiced chickpea batter. You can pour in a little at a time if you want a thinner crust, or pour it all in and get a thick crust. With this amount of batter, you will likely have a 1/3 inch thickness (I just cooked the batter at one time -- you can see how that looks in the pictures on the post on my blog--slick link above).

Cook the socca pizza. Turn the heat on medium, and after 3-4 minutes, you’ll notice bubbles forming. Keep the heat at medium-low and cover if splashing (it shouldn’t be splashing a lot – if it is, you need to lower the heat). Cook on one side for 7-8 minutes or until the bottom has hardened and started to turn golden (lift up a little to check). Once one side has cooked, use a large flat spatula to flip the socca on the other side. Add more oil if it looks dry. Cook for another 7-8 minutes or until that side has also turned golden. Turn off heat and prepare toppings while the crust cools a bit.

Sauté the veggies and prepare other toppings. For this version, I sautéed 4 green onion stalks till translucent and starting to caramelize and added to it 2 medium chopped tomatoes and a mix of 8-10 crimini and white button mushrooms in a tablespoon of olive oil. You can add whatever toppings you would like and have on hand.

Add cheese layer. Soft goat cheese is one of my favorites!

Add the other toppings. When the sautéed veggies have cooled a bit, add them on top of the pizza and spread evenly. Slice 15-20 olives and sprinkle evenly over pizza.

Slice and eat. Cut into fourths with a knife, and serve lukewarm. You can keep any leftovers in the fridge – it makes a great and filling lunch!

Author: midEATS

MidEATS was founded by real foodie and writer Heba Saleh and lawyer-mom Brenda Abdelall in August 2011, with the goal of presenting to the world the best Middle Eastern REAL food blog the internet has ever seen. We created this site to teach the world how to cook Middle Eastern food and to enjoy the process. We know that it isn’t just the food that makes Middle Eastern food so great: it’s the ingredients, history, and preparation that makes our food into a truly delicious meal. We will share with you the stories and traditions of Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. View all posts by midEATS

Recipe Description:

Recipe Ingredients:

Recipe Instructions:

Author: midEATS

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