Socca -- The Simple, Steady Food That Holds a Life Together

Week 488. Summer 2025. I am 42 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

The clinic was busy this week — spring puppies and summer emergencies and the constant, comforting cycle of animals who need care and humans who love them enough to bring them in.

Mason is 14 and navigating middle school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 12 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made tomato sandwich this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

There’s something about a week like this one — full of puppies and emergencies and kids who are quietly becoming themselves — that calls for food just as honest and uncomplicated as the life you’ve built. Socca, that golden chickpea flatbread that crisps at the edges and asks almost nothing of you, felt exactly right: something you can make with your hands, something that smells like a warm kitchen, something that connects the woman standing at the stove tonight to every version of herself who has stood there before.

Socca

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes rest) | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing
• Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, or chives), for topping

Instructions

1. Make the batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, warm water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder until completely smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes — this allows the flour to fully hydrate and the flavors to develop.
2. Heat the pan. Place a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet under the broiler for 5 minutes, or heat it over high heat on the stovetop until very hot. This step is key to getting the crispy edges that make socca so satisfying.
3. Add oil and batter. Carefully remove the hot skillet and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, swirling to coat. Pour in the batter and tilt the pan so it spreads evenly to the edges.
4. Broil until golden. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the top is set, spotted golden-brown, and the edges are pulling away from the pan. The center should be firm but still have a slight give.
5. Finish and serve. Slide the socca onto a cutting board. Scatter with flaky sea salt and fresh herbs. Cut into wedges or rough pieces and serve immediately, warm from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 290mg