Socca Chips and Guacamole

Prep and cook times exclude 2 hours of completely unattended wait time to rest the batter. Cook time includes 45 minutes of nearly inactive bake time to dry out the chips.

For the socca chips:
Whisk chickpea flour, salt, and cumin together in a medium bowl with a lip or pour spout, if you have one. While whisking, pour in water, and continue whisking until batter is free of lumps. Whisk in half of the olive oil, then let batter stand, covered, at room temperature, for 2 hours.

When batter is ready, turn oven to broil and move rack 6 inches from broiler. If your broiler has multiple settings, use the lowest. Coat the bottom of a 10 to 12 inch cast iron skillet (or a non-stick skillet that is oven safe at very high temperatures) with up to a tablespoon of olive oil, then place on the rack to heat for ten minutes. The oil may smoke a bit. If it becomes excessive, remove the skillet before ten minutes has passed.

If your batter bowl is without a lip or spout, transfer batter to a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. When the pan and oven have heated, use potholders to remove the skillet from the oven. Pour a third of the batter (enough to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet, about 1/2 cup) into the pan, then quickly tilt the pan to spread the batter to the edges before it sets. If the edges have a very thin coating of batter, pour a little more around the outside edge of the pan, so the edges don’t burn and go to waste.

Place the skillet back in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, until the socca has browned and blistered in a few places. You may also see a crack or large air bubble, which is fine. If your oven cooks unevenly in the front and back, rotate the pan 180 degrees after 2 minutes, being careful not to get oven mitts too close to the broiler. Remove from oven.

Cool the socca for about a minute in the pan, then use a pie spatula to loosen it from the skillet and lift or slide it onto a cooling rack. Oil the pan again, if dry, and preheat another 5 minutes. Repeat the cooking process another two times, so you end up with 3 circles of socca.

Reduce oven to 200 F. For rustic-looking chips, tear the socca into pieces about the size of tortilla chips, with some irregular shapes (you can cut the socca for a more uniform look). Place “chips” on a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet (I used a half sheet pan) and allow to dry and crisp in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour. My oven isn’t extremely dry, so my chips take an hour. Also, if your batches of socca vary in thickness, some chips may finish earlier than others—just remove them when they’re crisp.

Cool chips completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.

For the guacamole
Halve, pit, quarter, and peel the avocados, and place in a medium mixing bowl or other container. Using a fork, toss avocados with the juice of half a lime to coat.

Prepare and add into a bowl: onion, garlic, tomato, jalapeno, salt, and remaining lime juice. Use a potato masher or fork to combine all ingredients, mashing the avocados, and stopping when the avocados are completely creamy and free of large chunks (alternately, mash less if you prefer a few large chunks of avocado throughout your guac).

Stir in cilantro and taste guacamole, adding more salt and lime juice if needed, to your preference.

Store guacamole up to a few days in the refrigerator. To keep from browning, firmly press a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface of the guacamole before sealing the container. Stir before serving with the chips for dipping.

Notes: Recipe yields 2 cups guacamole and about 30 large chips. Both guacamole and chips keep well at least 2 days when made ahead.