A simple unleavened flatbread made from chickpea flour and cooked thin in a very hot oven. Depending on the region, it is referred to as Farinata, Socca, or Cecina.
Mix chickpea flour, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl.
Pour in 1/2 of the water and mix well until you have a smooth thick batter.
Stir in the remaining water and mix well.
Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and mix again until the oil is incorporated and you have a smooth thin batter, then let it sit while your oven heats up.
Place an iron skillet in your oven and turn it on to 475° F.
Once your oven reaches 475° F, carefully take out the skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the bottom, and pour in your batter slowly in a circular motion to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 475° for 12 minutes, then set the oven to broil and broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the top crispy.
Take out of the oven and cut into wedges and serve immediately. (You can sprinkle it with some coarse salt and some additional herbs if you like.)
Notes
Never taste the batter! Chickpea flour tastes absolutely terrible before it's cooked! Trust me, the taste changes into something magical, but you don't want to eat it raw or undercooked.
Let the batter sit for at least 15 minutes before baking it. This will give the garbanzo bean flour time to soften and evenly absorb the water. ( I usually make the batter, then turn on the oven and preheat the skillet. By the time the oven and skillet are hot, the batter is ready). Many traditional recipes call for the batter to sit anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours before baking, however, I don't find it necessary to sit that long. I've done it both ways and haven't noticed a difference in the final product.
Chickpea flour tends to be clumpy, so be sure to add the water slowly and stir out the clumps. If you do have clumps in your batter let it sit for about 15 more minutes and stir it again.
You can make the batter up to 1 day ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.
Add the olive oil to the skillet just before you add the batter. If you let the olive oil heat up to 475° F in the skillet before adding the batter it will start to smoke since the smoke point of olive oil is about 410° F.
Socca is best served hot out of the oven. It will lose it's crispiness if it sits around.