The Chickpea Flour Savory Cake is one of the most typical dishes of the Ligurian Cuisine, famous worldwide. You can also find versions in other Italian Regions like the Tuscan Cecina or the Sardinian version, but the most well-known is the Chickpea Farinata from Liguria!
I have had the pleasure, and allow me to say the honor, of enjoying it many times throughout my life, thanks to a special person, a True Ligurian who raised me as if he were a grandfather. The Director everyone in life would want, a “simple” person whose direct and candid manner was a cornerstone for many of us. Felice Chiesa and Felice he was in name and in fact, as he loved to say. He would make Chickpea Farinata only a few times a year because “Beatrice, keep quiet, otherwise, I have to stay home for 4 hours to stir the flour”, but he knew we would all be happy afterward. There was a line outside his house or in the offices of his Tourist Villages to grab even just a piece. Thin, golden, with the classic crispy crust, scented with rosemary from his garden, because without rosemary branches, it wasn’t farinata for him, and with the extra virgin olive oil from his olives. Surely there were some secrets, but over the years, I managed to enter his kitchen, especially after the lockdown, as he appreciated being followed in the preparation to explain the steps of his special recipe. A couple of times, we made it together, and he let me use his spoon to stir the chickpea farinata.
I cherished those moments, those delicate gestures of a gentleman who, at 90 years old, could easily go out to buy the farinata, but it wouldn’t have tasted the same, wouldn’t have been mixed with his spoon, the history of his years in Albenga, of his family, his women (at home, he was surrounded by the women of his family who pampered him from an early age). He had to make the farinata at home, had to watch the clock to stir the mixture every hour for four hours. He then had to pour it into the well-oiled baking sheet with his hands and watch the oven while smoking his pipe first, then his cigarette. And meanwhile, there were his stories, his tales, his myths, and even some legends, building and rebuilding pieces of life, his life, to gift to those who wanted to listen. How I miss you, dear Director, but thanks to you, I have a wealth of stories, culture, and kindness, a special soul I had the pleasure of living and appreciating.
While preparing the chickpea farinata, I thought of all this, the opportunities life offers us, without my father Fabrizio, I would never have met Felice Chiesa, would never have worked for him for almost 19 years. I would never have had the job of my dreams, having studied tourism and being able to say I worked for one of the greatest Ligurian Entrepreneurs and Marchigiano by adoption who made tourism his life and history. A person who brought a camping model to the Marche that didn’t exist before, we’re talking about the late 60s with his first Village with his beloved Giuse, then opened other accommodations that still today are among the top for tourist presences in the Region. In short, I’ve told you about the man behind the entrepreneur, but our Felice was also many other figures. He was a father and grandfather, a director and friend, a rare person. I leave you with the musical video dedicated to him by one of his dear camper friends, Davide, who, along with his partner Barbara, got to know and appreciate him in the last years of his life. From his song, you can imagine, word after word, the figure of Felice.
But now let’s return to the recipe for this thin cake, crispy on the outside, flavored with rosemary, which is one of the most appreciated street foods on the Ligurian side. From Ventimiglia to Porto Venere, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t know the Chickpea Farinata, and if they don’t, they are foreign, not Ligurian. It has been prepared for centuries, a poor cuisine dish with water, salt, oil, and chickpea flour. Nothing more, nothing less, then let it rest, and then cook it in a well-heated oven. A few simple steps for a taste you will remember and your palate will always recognize. A unique aroma, an enticing crispiness that has conquered generations, no one can resist a slice of Ligurian chickpea farinata! If you too are crazy for this savory pie, come with me, let’s dive into Mr. Felice’s kitchen and discover his secrets.
But first, I remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning on the fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day and many other contents live from my kitchen. Now let’s move on to the recipe, and if you want to discover more savory pie recipes, here below are some clickable links. Grab paper and pen; let’s start this journey.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 245.83 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 21.86 (g) of which sugars 4.08 (g)
- Proteins 8.43 (g)
- Fat 14.18 (g) of which saturated 1.93 (g)of which unsaturated 1.69 (g)
- Fibers 4.12 (g)
- Sodium 513.43 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Ligurian Chickpea Farinata Recipe
- 1 1/3 cups chickpea flour
- 2 cups water (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp salt (fine)
- 3 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 pinch pepper
You can halve the dose of extra virgin olive oil by using: 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for a lighter version of the chickpea farinata.
Felice’s Secret: a pinch of roast seasoning, that little jar where there is a mixture of salt, rosemary, pepper, and spices. Just take a pinch and add it to the flour mixture.
Second Secret: His farinata, perhaps in a hurry, was always hurried, rested only 4 hours but if you have time, try to reach 6 hours of rest in the refrigerator.
Tools for Chickpea Farinata Recipe
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Paper Towels
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Scale
- 1 Oven
- 1 Plastic Wrap
Steps for Ligurian Chickpea Farinata Recipe:
As you might have guessed, the recipe is very simple, with few preparation steps and a long resting time during which, however, you’ll need to remember to stir the mixture once an hour. Take your time, read a book, call a friend, talk to your son/daughter, or if you’re lucky, listen to the stories of the elderly, those who have dreamed, shed tears, and sweat but then celebrated for having achieved their life.
In that time span, I laughed and cried remembering Felice, while setting up the set with few elements, simple like he was. He dressed well only for the rare occasions of dinners and tourism fairs, other days were jeans and a shirt or sweater, a shoulder bag, and a dangling cell phone with the cord around his neck. A teenager in the body of a man who at 90 still pedaled through the streets of his campsite. I thought of his tales, his stories, and how much we shared. I reflected on how many people I’ve met thanks to him and with him, to how many I still call friends and others instead “quiet, don’t even mention them!”. I unconsciously relived his and my life simply preparing a recipe, what power our senses have. They make us see and hear things our eyes no longer see, and our ears no longer listen to, but the heart retains them and keeps the memories alive.
Before I make more flights into the sky of memories, let’s move on to the recipe. So let’s take a nice large bowl, possibly with high edges. We pour the chickpea flour into it.
Let’s prepare the mixture of extra virgin olive oil and water and salt. Do you have a nice big glass or a liquid doser? I used the latter. Pour the amount of water into it, add the extra virgin olive oil and salt. Mix with the whisk to dissolve the salt.
Now, with one hand, we will pour the water and oil mixture into the bowl where we have the chickpea flour while with the other hand, we will work the mixture with the whisk to avoid forming lumps. This is one of the fundamental steps; no one wants lumpy chickpea farinata. So mix several times to mix all the ingredients well. The mixture should be smooth, liquid, and without flour lumps.
We can then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. From here, we will count the resting hours, four if you want a quick version, or six for the more classic one. As anticipated, during the rest, we will need to stir the ingredients once, you can do it with a spoon or with the whisk, I preferred to use the whisk. Once every hour, always covering the bowl with plastic wrap and placing it back in the fridge. When we are almost at the end of the resting time, we can turn on the oven, static mode at 482 degrees Fahrenheit. While we wait for the oven to reach the right temperature, let’s wash and pluck the rosemary.
Then take a rectangular baking sheet and grease the bottom with your hands. Or if you prefer, use a kitchen paper towel. Seed oil or extra virgin olive oil, you choose. Chiesa would surely have said oil from his home, so extra virgin. Then, retrieve the chickpea flour and water bowl from the fridge. Add a pinch of pepper and a pinch of roast seasoning.
Pour with a ladle the farinata into the baking sheet. Chickpea Farinata should not exceed half an inch, it’s not a thick cake but rather should be thin, otherwise, it will have difficulty cooking. This is crucial, mind you. If you have doubts, do as I did, use two round molds to divide the mixture and be sure not to exceed the indicated height. Remember, Felice and I are watching you!!!
Place some rosemary leaves here and there and put in the oven. Chickpea farinata cooking time 20 minutes divided as follows. 10 minutes in the lower part of the oven and then 10 minutes in the upper part. This is what creates the crust on our chickpea cake and also thanks to this movement in the oven during cooking, it remains soft underneath. An incredible mix. Don’t listen to those who tell you not to open the oven, there is no yeast in this recipe, so if we lose a few seconds to move the pan, nothing happens. If you have prepared two round pans like in my case, I recommend cooking one at a time; otherwise, you won’t be able to do this trick. I placed the first one in the lower part, then after 10 minutes, I moved it to the upper part, obviously using the oven grates as a support. In the now free part of the oven, I then placed the other round pan. So I gained time. After the other 10 minutes, I took out the first chickpea farinata and moved the second pan from the bottom to the top, letting it cook for the remaining few minutes. The result? Both well-cooked and crispy as Ligurian tradition demands! All that’s left is to serve the chickpea farinata warm like Felice did, or let it cool on a wire rack to avoid further heat reaching the base.
I wish you a good appetite and hope you enjoyed this recipe story, if so, I hope you will want to share it and perhaps prepare it to let me know if you like homemade Ligurian chickpea farinata. See you at the next recipe!!!
I hope I haven’t bored you, and hope this story is liked by those who Felice knew and lived with, I think of that ray of sunshine seen in the photos and like to think it might be him. I know he is always close, that when I talk about him, I tell about a human side many have appreciated, and that made him the person who still today is missed by all of us. That light in his eyes I tried to replicate in a photo, in his favorite Ligurian recipe.
I know this savory pie is also called Fainé in Ligurian dialect, but I never heard Felice call it that, maybe it’s a name from other areas of Liguria compared to his Albenga.
Tips for Homemade Chickpea Farinata
Tips, variations, and various eventualities have already been spoiled during the text of this recipe. However, I can tell you that not everyone adds rosemary, but we love it, so we always add it. Obviously, if you don’t have roast seasoning, don’t make it a dilemma, you can easily add a pinch more pepper and maybe some more rosemary leaves. For cooking, be careful not to place the baking sheet in the center of the oven, many say it makes no difference. I tried, and the main difference lies in the crust.
