Italian Farinata is a simple flatbread made from nothing more than chickpea flour, water and olive oil. Flavored with flaky sea salt, black pepper, and topped with asparagus hummus and veggies, this recipe is completely gluten-free and vegan.

With warmer nights and summer on our doors, we are dining al fresco and craving light dinners that are both easy to prepare and refreshing at the same time. Chickpea farinata is one of those easy recipes that can be quickly whisked as you only need chickpea flour, water, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil to make it. Together with asparagus hummus, spring veggies, and fresh basil, this recipe is perfect for light dinners, brunch with friends, or even a picnic.

Farinata is a traditional flatbread from Liguria, with some variations depending on where it is made. It requires very few ingredients, and once baked, it has a soft, custardy texture with lightly crisped edges. It is usually served as flatbread in Italy, savored with some fresh rosemary, but I prefer using it as a base and top it with some fresh or grilled veggies and hummus.

THE SECRET OF A GOOD FARINATA

Preparing a farinata is fast and easy. All you have to do is mix water and chickpea (or garbanzo bean) flour to obtain a fairly liquid batter. Add extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper. You can decide to add rosemary or other dry herbs, but I usually go for a simple version. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes in a hot oven. That's pretty much it! 🙂

The secret to a good, tasty farinata is to leave the batter to rest for at least 1-2 hours for flour to absorb the water. This will prevent creating lumps and bubbles in your farinata. Also, salt, pepper, and olive oil are added just before pouring the batter into the pan.

The batter is supposed to be very liquid (on 150g flour, we are using 400ml water), and if you change the amount of flour, make sure to pay attention to the water-flour ratio. This is very important for the final result - soft, custardy farinata.

Besides being so easy to make, another great thing about this recipe is that it is entirely gluten-free. Chickpea flour lacks gluten and is loaded with chickpea flavor, which makes it perfect for baking savory recipes.

how to make aSPARAGUS HUMMUS

As asparagus are in season, I decided to make a new, more refreshing version of hummus by adding lots of fresh basil, fresh baby spinach, and blanched asparagus to my standard hummus. The result was divine!
I love changing recipes, and my hummus always has a twist - this version is maybe one of my favorites, so refreshing and perfect for summer!
All you have to do is proceed as you would with your basic recipe. Add cooked chickpeas, some cooked asparagus, garlic, lemon juice, fresh basil, a small handful of fresh baby spinach, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a blender. Blend at high speed for a couple of minutes until smooth. I am adding baby spinach for a more vibrant, green color, but you can skip this step if you don't have it. It will not affect the final taste of the hummus. Drizzle with some olive oil and add some freshly chopped basil, and your asparagus hummus is ready to go.
Once the farinata is baked, let it sit for 5 minutes, then cover with hummus, fresh baby spinach, cooked chickpeas, and asparagus.
Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. For decoration purposes, you can also cover it with some sunflower and toasted sesame seeds, along with few leaves of fresh basil.

Italian Chickpea Farinata with Asparagus Hummus and Fresh Basil
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4 

400ml water

150g chickpea flour

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Pinch of black pepper to taste

200g fresh asparagus

200g cooked chickpeas

1 small garlic clove

Juice for ½ of lemon

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

A handful of fresh basil

A handful of fresh baby spinach plus some more for topping

Sunflower and sesame seeds for topping, optional

METHOD

In a large bowl whisk together water and chickpea flour. Let it rest for 1-2 hours. Prepare asparagus by washing them well and removing the end parts (about 2cm). In a large pan place water just enough to cover your asparagus and add a pinch of salt. Once the water is boiling, place the asparagus and let them cook for 8 minutes. Once soft, remove them from the pan and rinse with cold water. Preserve a bit of asparagus water for hummus.

Prepare the hummus by placing cooked chickpeas, a third of your cooked asparagus, garlic, lemon juice, fresh basil, fresh baby spinach, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a blender. Blend on high speed for a couple of minutes until smooth. Depending on the speed of your blender, you will maybe need to stop several times and scrape the sides. For more smooth hummus add 1-2 tbsp asparagus water.

Preheat your oven at 200 degrees Celsius ( 390 F). Whisk the chickpea flour mixture once more, add 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the parchment paper in a round pan (diameter 26cm), pour the mixture, and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until set on the top and golden. The mixture is very runny so be careful not to use ring pans that may leak. When farinata is baked, place it on a serving plate, cover with asparagus hummus, a layer of fresh baby spinach, cooked asparagus, a handful of cooked chickpeas, fresh basil. Sprinkle with sunflower and sesame seeds and some olive oil. Serve warm.