Given Argentina’s colonial heritage, it is inevitable that one will occasionally come across food and recipes that clearly derive from their European heritage. The dish we’re going to write about today is one such example; Fainá flatbread is unashamedly of European origin. The Italian’s have their Farinata and just north of the border the French have their Socca.
Fainá Flatbread
In Argentina it is known as the Fainá but all three dishes are similar. The result is a type of thin pancake which is served as an appetizer or sometimes as side order to pizza in the same way as one might enjoy garlic bread. Fortunately it’s very easy and pretty quick to make and the instructions and ingredients for Garbanzo Fainá are as follows:
You will need:
- 150g of Garbanzo bean flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 7 tsp olive oil
- 3 tsp parmesan cheese
- Ground black pepper
- 600ml water
Now follow the instructions below:
Whisk the Garbanzo flour with three tablespoons of olive oil, plenty of black pepper, the salt and the parmesan cheese.
Slowly mix in 420ml water until you have a nice, smooth batter mixture and everything is well mixed. Leave it to one side for about 30 mins.
Now you need to preheat your oven to 450F/230C and put the remaining four tablespoons of olive oil into a pizza pan (the size of the pan will affect the thickness of the Fainá and the cooking time – a thicker Fainá will require more time). Place the pan into the oven until the oil is well heated.
If the batter is too thick to pour, stir in some of the remaining water until you can easily do so. Take the hot pan out of the oven and pour the mixture into it. It should provide for a thickness of about 2-3 cm.
Place the pan back into the oven for a maximum of ten minutes until the Fainá is crispy and a golden colour. While it is still warm, cut it into sections and serve as you wish!