FARINATA

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup lukewarm water
½ cup rosemary-infused olive oil (see note)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Pinch of coarse salt, such as Maldon, for finishing

1. Combine the chickpea flour, water, rosemary-infused olive oil and kosher salt, and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the batter sit at room temperature for at least four hours and up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (enough to thinly cover the bottom), and put the pan in the oven to warm for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and pour in the batter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pancake is firm and the edges set.
3. Heat the broiler. Brush the top of the pancake lightly with another tablespoon of olive oil if it looks dry. Broil a few inches from the heat until the top starts to brown, about two minutes. Top with chopped rosemary and coarse salt. Cut into wedges, and serve hot or warm. (At the restaurant, it is grilled before serving, but it also reheats well on a sheet pan in the oven.) Serve alone, or with a soft cheese, olives or tapenade.
Note: To make the rosemary-infused olive oil, add a few sprigs of rosemary to 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil — or a big handful of it to a gallon of oil to make a restaurant-size batch. Steep for about an hour over very low heat. A crock pot works well for this. Reserve the oil-coated leaves to scatter over the farinata.

SOCCA

A savory pancake made from chickpea flour - from "O" magazine

Combine 2 cups garbanzo bean flour, 2 cups warm water, 2 T. olive oil, and 1 - 2 tsp. of salt. Let batter rest for 2 hours.

Slice one zucchini thinly, chop 1 large red onion, add a sprinkling of herbs, and saute until soft and just beginning to brown.

Turn on broiler. Oil jelly roll pan or oven-safe skillet and put in heated oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, and pour in batter to about 1/4" thick (this recipe fills one jelly roll pan). Top the batter with zucchini and onion, and a few twigs of fresh rosemary (optional: a few pine nuts). Place socca under broiler until edges are brown, batter is set and toppings are beginning to crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Slide out of pan and cut into slices.

21st Century Caponata (from Greg Atkinson)

This Sicilan style eggplant appetizer is delicious served over brown rice, tossed with pasta or as an appetizer with crackers. With hummus, olives and feta, it makes an appetizer platter.

Cut a large eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Toss with 1 T. salt and let it stand at room temp in a colander for 10 minutes to drain off the bitter juices Then toss with olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees until soft and slightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop a red onion and two stalks of celery and saute in olive oil. until onions are beginning to brown. Add 1 T. dried oregano leaves and 1 T. chopped garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Transfer to a bowl, stir in the eggplant plus 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup capers, drained, 1 cup julienne-cut strips of sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture stand at room temp for at least 10 minutes before serving. Caponata keeps well in the refrigerator for a week.