FAINÁ DE PIZZERIA - pizzeria style fainá

Fainá (A.K.A. farinata de Ceci, cecina or torta de Ceci) is a thin unleavened traditional flatbread made from chickpea flour. Originally from Genoa, it’s very popular in Argentina and Uruguay, and you can find it in most pizzerias there. It’s golden on the outside, moist and creamy on the inside, rich in protein and gluten free. It can be eaten on its own, with salad, or more commonly, on top of pizza. If you can't find chimichurri, there’s a recipe for it in my profile( https://s.samsungfood.com/Nhgl7 ), or you can substitute it with pesto, or avoid it altogether, but you'll miss the subtle background flavour it adds to the fainá.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a large bowl add the water, salt, chimichurri, freshly ground toasted black pepper (if using) and egg, and mix well with a whisk.

Step 2

Fold a tea towel in 4 and place the bowl on top so it doesn’t move around. Put the chickpea flower in a sieve, and while constantly whisking with one hand, with the other hand sieve in the gram flour, adding it slowly while whisking it in, to prevent forming lumps. You should end up with a very thin watery batter.

Step 3

Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight) to allow the gram flour to hydrate and fully dissolve.

Step 4

After the waiting time is done, preheat the oven to 200C.

Step 5

Add the extra virgin olive oil to a round 28cm (11”) deep dish pizza pan (at least 2cm deep) and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes. Steel pans tend to give a better finish to the bottom than aluminium ones.

Step 6

While the oven heats up, get the bowl with the batter out of the fridge. The hydrated gram flour would have set in the bottom. Mix the loose batter well with a whisk until you get a homogeneous mix.

Step 7

Take the pizza pan out of the oven and carefully pour in the batter.

Step 8

Bake in the oven at 200C until firm and slightly golden on top (about 20 to 25 minutes for fan oven, 25 to 30 for static oven). If you want it extra golden on top, a couple of minutes under the oven grill will do the trick, while keeping the centre creamy.

Step 9

Once golden on top, take the fainá out of the oven and let it cool down for about 10 minutes before unmolding. If it slightly rises unevenly, don't worry, it will flatten when cooling down. It should come off the pan putting a tray or board over it and flipping it over. Slice with a knife or pizza wheel and serve on its own, topped with rocket salad, on top of a Margherita pizza, or with any other toppings that you fancy. Enjoy!