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.

Vegetarian Chickpea Burgers

serves 4

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup parsley

1 15oz can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

salt and pepper

1 large egg

1/2 cup flour

Hamburger buns

Chop up onion, parsley and garlic a food processor until finely chopped. Add chickpeas, egg, and salt and pepper. Pulse until the chickpeas are fairly smooth, although a few chunks are fine.

Mix in flour and stir until well mixed (I use my standing mixer for this).

Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about 1/2" thick.

In a large skillet or fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then stick in the patties. Cook them on each side until brown, at least 5 minutes.

Lightly brown buns in the oven. Top the patties with chedder cheese, and then put in buns with lettuce, red onions, ketchup, and mustard.