My mum used to make something similar for a quick meal when I was little. She used to call it Tomato Omelette. It had no egg. It was chickpea flour with chopped up tomatoes and lots of coriander and a dash of chilli. Your post brought back some memories :-)

Lately I have been making "pizzas" using the chickpea flour and I could eat them daily! I will definitely have to try this!

My mum used to make something similar for a quick meal when I was little. She used to call it Tomato Omelette. It had no egg. It was chickpea flour with chopped up tomatoes and lots of coriander and a dash of chilli. Your post brought back some memories :-)

These look amazing; I love anything with chickpeas! Thanks for the recipe.

I wondered what kinds of toppings you reccomend. I saw yoghurt and fruit or tempenade. Just wondered what you have tried since I have never tasted Socca. I plan to serve it at my Sunday brunch!

I love the name you gave these mini socca pancakes. I actually posted a socca spinoff this week along similar lines, but made in muffin tins. I personally find socca very forgiving and have enjoyed every kind I've made so far, but I never do get it as thin and blistered as I think it's intended to be "authentically," so I guess that's the part that takes finesse. If you figure out the trick I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, I'm putting these silverdollars on the to-make list. P.S. I've followed your blog for years but am not sure I've ever commented...so if I haven't, hi! Thank you for posting consistently delicious-looking food and great posts. :)

HS: Thanks for the comment Molly!

what is going on with the library website?

HS: Hi G - The short answer is the server keeps going down, and I'm having a hard time getting the system regularly rebooted. I'd like to get it transferred to a more stable platform, but that is proving difficult. I'm so sorry - apologies - and thanks for your patience.

These look delicious! Love the Idea of mustard and sesame seeds in the batter. I am slightly obsessed with Socca ever since i first read about it. Check out my recipe, give it a try and let me know what you think.

These look so yummy! I was wondering, since I cannot have dairy, if canned coconut milk can be used in place of the buttermilk? Anyone have any thoughts on that? Thanks!

HS: I think that would likely be incredibly tasty Nicole.

Hi Heidi - i have two unrelated questions: 1. What is the nailpolish shade you're wearing on your(?) forefinger. 2. I guess you use Milton and Brook mortar and pestle that you use in your kitchen. I was about to buy one, but then I was unsure about the size to order. What size do you use? I'd go by that given the number of times I've seen it on your blog. Thank you!

HS: Hi Shaheen - I'll have to ask Tina about that nail polish color (her finger :)...my guess is that it might be NARS in one of the Pierre Hardy shades (coral?) we've had them around lately....but ill have to double check. And, I've had that m+p forever. We use it as sort of a backup, when the others are in use. It's smallish - holds a cup or so...I actually prefer m+ps with larger capacity. I have a couple larger vintage ones, and then this one on QK became a fast favorite, in part because of the textured bowl - it has great grip.

Hi Heidi...In India we make a similar pancake for breakfast and they are called Chillas but they are made with just chickpea flour,salt,water and the batter is mixed with grated or finely chopped veggies like carrot,coriander,fenugreek,onions..its always made in mustard oil for best effect and we use onion seeds or sesame along the way...spiced with red chilli powder , green chillies and a pinch of cumin or coriander powder.

HS: Ooh! Love the idea of grated veggies in them. Maybe broccoli stems & onions or something. Sounds delicious.

Beautiful little soccas! I've been making socca all summer from the Saveur recipe and they've been perfect every time. It's a 1:1 ratio of flour to water with a little olive oil and salt. I cook them in a preheated cast iron skillet (not the cake pan the recipe suggests) under my broiler. I gobble them up plain, or top them like pizza. They are some kind of good kitchen magic. Thanks for sharing your delicious looking variation.

I love that you made a socca-inspired recipe! I lived for a year in Nice right after college; what a fantastic place with amazing food. I for one would be thrilled to see a pissaladiere recipe, 101 cookbooks style, too.

My meat-loving boyfriend loves socca - we make it regularly... which makes me curious as to why you don't think your's wouldn't be amazing like all of your other things? Is it the smoky greasy fastfood streetfood flair that is missing?

question: what are the ladies on your photo working on? is that something we'll be seeing at Quitokeeto?

What are those little wrap thingys in the bottom photo of your lunch spread??

This looks so incredibly good. I'm going to have to try these with your mung-bean hummus for lunch some time this week. Very excited. Definitely my dish of the day :-D Plus: you've got the best crockery.

Yum! Don't suppose you have any ideas for turning this thing vegan? :-)

Socca is one of my FAVOURITE foods! What an interesting way to twist up the traditional recipe! I love it!

I have never made (or even heard of Socca) Where have I been? ;) I love chickpea flour and the thought of using kefir as the liquid. The savory spices in these would make a perfect snack.

Looks great. How about the recipe for those fresh rolls?

The sesame seeds and mustard seeds are a great addition to this socca. I make socca quite a bit - it's easy, filling and goes with so many things. At the beginning of the year I posted a vegan socca recipe that is reliable and has a good ratio of crispy edges to soft, pliable interior. Socca do take a bit of practice, but so worth getting the hang of. Looks like you have achieved this :D. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested in a vegan take. Not as pretty as yours though.

I love socca and anything with chickpeas! I'm loving this idea of using keffir or buttermilk in the batter and also the size, so sweet! As always thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

I have no trouble with traditional Socca (I use Mark Bittman's recipe) but these look like a great choice for any number of occasions when I want something small and quick and gluten free. I am thinking I could even try sweet spices for a morning "pancake" version - I do this with traditional Socca and serve it with fruit & yogurt, but the little ones look fun,.

The idea of these little soccas is very tempting! The socca I know is simply chickpea flour in a mixture of water and olive oil – no eggs and no buttermilk or any other kind of dairy. Then it is cooked in a very hot oven on a large cast iron pan. Maybe that will help...? In David Lebowitz's "Sweet Life in Paris" there is a good recipe.

HS: Thanks Marsha -these are definitely a departure from traditional socca. But I love the tenderness the buttermilk lends :)

Most of the socca recipes I have seen (and made) were simply chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil. I make one large pancake in a cast iron skillet, and add toppings as the pancake sets. Sage leaves, olives, fresh thyme and feta make a more traditional socca, and the last minute is spent under the broiler browning the top. I have made multiples for an appetizer course. It's festive, creative, and always a crowd pleaser.

What a great recipe! I love socca with an olive tapenade and anchovies!

I thought it was so sweet for you to include those little vials of spices in the QK package - great idea, and very thoughtful. And there are those beautiful bowls again! The one in the photo with the Medjool dates in it - that flat bottom and those straight sides - I'm in love. Thanks for another unique recipe Heidi.

HS: Hi Kendall - thanks! I think I may have pick a nested set of those up from Reliquary in Hayes Valley....pretty sure that's where they came from.

I am glad to read you had trouble making socca, too... ;-) I have been battling with them over the past months, too. It finally worked out (a very simple recipe, using only water to make the batter - 1 1/2 vol. for 1 vol. flour - , and flavouring it with cumin seeds), but I could only do it in a really good non-stick, otherwise they crumbled. Yours look really yummy, make me want to try your recipe!

HS: Yeah - there is some dryness, and textural "issues" I've yet to overcome.

Look at these cuties! I've never tasted any kind of socca so I'm really curious about them. They go straight to my to-make list.

Yum! I thought those were poppyseeds at first but I like the idea of black sesame seeds even more! Fresh spices are so delicious (and by fresh I mean not stale like most of the ones in the grocery store).

Happy Monday to you :) I like to chickpea flour, it is delicious and healthy, so it makes a perfect meal :)

Oooh....looks delicious and gluten free. It's a win-win!

Omg! I have to try it out! Looks gorgeous! ;)

These little darlings look wonderfully delicious. Looking forward to you nailing and sharing the traditional socca!!

Oh I want to try these. I'm thinking cardamom, but perhaps that's too much of a warm, traditional pancake spice and I should be thinking more on the lines of cumin.

Wonderful! Thank you! I've just started making socca with great success - basing it on recipes from David Leibovitz and Adam Roberts (amatuer gourmet), and these look like a fantastic progression! Breakfast tomorrow I think...

These are super cute and sound delicious!

I recently made two mung bean recipes: your hummus + a chickpea-flour-based mung bean pancake. It has left me craving socca in any/every form. Thanks!

The setup for the table looks so yum. I'm glad to see they're gluten free, cause pancakes are usually off limits for me.

You mentioned that you had to lug heavy things for your store up the stairs so since I just moved an entire library (mine) to their new home up a flight of stairs, I thought I would share this tip. Rather than moving heavy boxes of things up the stairs, open and repack the boxes into bags (small backpacks, cotton shopping bags, student book bags, etc.), put them on a step, and move them up step by step (not lifting and carrying). This will not ruin your back as lifting and carrying will.

I've been telling my boyfriend we need to try our hand at socca, but now I think we should start here! These little pancakes sound delicious!

That's it. I know exactly what I am making for lunch tomorrow, and I cannot wait. Thank you Heidi, yet again, for making me excited for lunch - on the night before!

These look so yummy!! Have to give it a try today itself :)

You can't add buttermilk or eggs to Socca, there's no need! If you're having trouble keep it simple, Socca is chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil.

A few years ago I really wanted to make socca because I kept seeing it on tons of blogs and just never got around to it. But your post reminds me I need to get some chickpea flour and get on it. And silver dollar size .... SO cute!

I have a pretty darn foolproof socca technique that I myself can no longer do because our oven shuts off when it gets above a certain temp, but basically this is it: http://vegetarianduck.blogspot.nl/2006/06/recipe-testing-soccafarinata.html. Good luck!

Do you add the mustard seeds at the same time you combine all the other ingredients? What is your thought on toasting either or both seeds first?

HS: You could do either Leah! But yes, I added with the other ingredients.

I'll have to try this recipe soon. Looks like it could become another one of my instant favourites. What did I ever eat before stumbling upon your blog? Looking at your pics, I'm feeling a pinch of jealousy. I just want to pack up my things and move to San Francisco just to come and work with you guys. Seems like the perfect work ambiance. Thanks again for all that you share with us.

These look delicious! I love the little black flecks from the sesame seeds especially.

Wow what a spread of food! You deserve such a love little pancake for working so hard. These look delicious.