Chickpea Flour

In New York there is no shortage of Italian bakeries, and as a rule I try to poke my head in as many as possible to peek at the offerings. Italians are creative masters, and of course it’s always the Italian rainbow cake that first catches my eye. Probably I’m just hypnotized by a cool color palette, like a puppy watching TV. When choosing your preserves for this one, spend a little extra on the good organic stuff. The success of your cake depends on it! If you are allergic to almonds, omitting the extract won’t compromise your cake.

Did you notice that all my cupcake recipes yield 24? With so many cupcakes (is 24 really a lot?), you might, theoretically, have a few left over. Those little leftover treasures are the secret behind my most brilliant invention: the crumb. Crumbs consist of either an unfrosted cake or an unfrosted cupcake broken down and treated with additional flavoring. In most cases, you’ll be using cupcakes, which aren’t all that sweet on their own and are thus the ideal blank canvas. You’ll find the vanilla-based version to be the most versatile crumb of the three I’ve included. You can add your favorite spices to tailor it to your taste; just don’t add more than 2 teaspoons of the spice you choose, or it will overpower the cake you’re baking.

I’m all for mindful eating—scanning each and every nutritional label, chewing each bite of food twenty times before swallowing—but we all know there comes a time when we want to slide into a pair of elastic-waisted pants and go to town. When that urge arises, I, for one, succumb. Composed of three of the bakery’s most popular items—frosting, brownies, and cookies—this extraordinary layered cake is an indulgence that would make even the lovely Paula Deen blush. Right with you, Ms. Deen!

Eggplants come in so many sizes and shapes. You may use 4 of the purple “baby” Italian eggplants (aim for 1 1/4 pounds), 4 Japanese eggplants, or 8 of the very small Indian ones. All are quartered partially—the top, sepal end always stays attached so the eggplants retain their shape—and then stuffed with a spice mixture before being cooked. For the mixture to hold, a little starch needs to be added. In India, this is the very nutritious chickpea flour. You may use cornmeal or masa harina instead if you have them at hand. All will need to be slightly roasted first. This is easily done in a small cast-iron frying pan. This very gratifying dish may be served as a main course, along with a green vegetable, some dal (such as Black Beans), rice, and a yogurt relish. It would also go well with hearty chicken and lamb curries.

Here is a very easy-to-prepare egg curry. As the entire curry sauce is made in the blender, I call it a blender curry. If you like, 2–3 medium-sized boiled and diced (a 3/4-inch dice is best) potatoes may be added to the sauce at the same time as the eggs. Serve with rice or any of the three breads in this book. You may also have the curry with French or Italian bread.

Gujaratis in western India do not actually drink soups as such. They do have many soupy dishes, which are meant to be eaten with flatbreads, rice, or spongy, savory, steamed cakes known as dhoklas. Here is one such dish. It makes for a gorgeous soup. I serve it with a little dollop of cream and a light sprinkling of ground roasted cumin (page 284), though these are not at all essential. In the summer months, I make my own tomato puree and use that to make the soup. Store-bought puree is perfectly good too. In Gujarat a similar dish is served with homemade noodles in it. It is known as dal dhokli. I sometimes throw small quantities of cooked pasta bow ties or even macaroni into the soup.

Known as bhajia, bhaja, pakora, and many other names in different parts of India, fritters are an integral part of every single local cuisine in the nation. The flour that is generally used is the protein-rich chickpea flour (though sometimes rice flour is mixed in for extra crunch). That is the constant. After that, anything can be “frittered”—leaves, roots, fish, roe, vegetables, you take your pick. The batter can be thick or thin, spicy or mild, you take your pick again. Most fritters are served with chutneys. Might I suggest Fresh Green Chutney, page 245, or Peshawari Red Pepper Chutney, page 243, here, but, if you do not have time, bottled tomato ketchup or a last-minute squeeze of lime juice will suffice. In India and Pakistan, fritters are eaten as a snack, with chutneys and tea. In Bangladesh, they can be the first course at a meal, served with rice. In the West, they have acquired another life altogether: they are served as an appetizer in restaurants and with drinks at catered parties. Ideally, these fritters, rather like French fries, are best eaten as soon as they come out of the frying pan. If that is not possible, make them ahead of time and reheat them in a medium oven for 10 minutes.

There is nothing like sitting down for an evening drink with these chickpeas by one’s side. Since they come out of a can, no hard work is involved. I like to use organic canned chickpeas, but any kind will do. If you have access to an Indian grocer, do sprinkle the chickpeas with some chaat masala at the end. It gives them an extra spiciness. But this is not essential. These are best eaten the day they are made.

This recipe would not be possible without the late Bette Hagman and her book The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread. She was innovative and to be respected. I made a few changes to avoid artificial ingredients, but the credit is hers. The bread also makes great toast. French Meadow Bakery makes a similar good loaf, available online and in speciality stores.

Wheat Free Yep, green burgers. This recipe makes a lot, but they freeze well, so you can have green burgers all week long!

Protein-rich garbanzo flour can be found at health-food grocers (such as Whole Foods).

This wholesome bread is tender and sweet enough to appeal to kids, while the toasty sesame flavor and mix of grain, nut, and legume flours will also appeal to adults. Using a small loaf pan gives the bread a better rise and a higher proportion of tasty crust. See our related story for more information and sources for gluten-free ingredients<\a>.

Crisp on the bottom and chewy in the center, this gluten-free pie gives pizzeria fare a run for its money. Feel free to vary the toppings to suit your taste (keeping in mind that processed pepperoni and even some brands of pre-grated cheese may contain gluten, so read ingredients carefully.) This recipe makes two 10-inch pies—perfect for two very hungry people or two to three pretty hungry people. For easy weeknight meals, make a double recipe of the baked crusts and freeze some to top and broil when you need them. See our related story for more information and sources for gluten-free ingredients.

Frigitterie, found all over Palermo, means things fried, and the selections are endless. Breaded eggplant, broccoli, artichokes—all of the vegetables in season are coated with a flour paste (pastella) and find their way into a fryer. In Palermo, one of the undisputed specialties is panella, made of chickpea flour and cooked like polenta, chilled, and then cut into thick slices that are fried in olive oil. Fried panelle are eaten as is, or multiple slices are piled in a sesame bun and enjoyed as a big sandwich. Panelle can make a great accompaniment to fish or meat, but everybody loves them passed around as an hors d'oeuvre. Convenient to prepare in advance, they can be cooked up in a big batch, left to cool in the sheet pan, then refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can cut out a few panelle and fry them for a snack or side dish whenever you want. If you're serving bite-sized panelle for a cocktail party, I suggest you fry all the pieces ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven before your guests arrive.

This is a popular street food in Sicily, especially in Palermo, where warm panelle are served between two pieces of country bread.

(Chick-Pea Flatbread with Sage)

Even though they are most often associated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, potato pancakes have a year-round appeal. Here they are given a Middle Eastern twist with the addition of flour made from chick-peas - the dominant flavor in falafel - as well as chilis, herbs and spices. Pour a dry white wine. For dessert, present fruit and some halvah. Chick-pea flour is available at Middle Eastern and Indian markets.

Ever since R.C Van Dyne from Wilmington, NC tasted farinata in Alessandria, Italy, he has been wanting to make it. We obtained this recipe from Rose Pistola restaurant in San Francisco, where they serve their own farinata. Farinata is a thin, crisp, pizzalike pancake made from chick-pea flour. When we called Rose Pistola, we were thrilled to learn that the recipe had already been reworked for the home cook by Peggy Knickerbocker, coauthor with chef Reed Hearon of The Rose Pistola Cookbook: 140 Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite North Beach Restaurant (out October, 1999 from Broadway Books). The following recipe makes three farinata, but they must be baked one at a time. We suggest opening a bottle of wine, hanging out in the kitchen with friends, and eating the farinata as they come out of the oven. For best results, use a 10-inch seasoned cast-iron round griddle, about 3/8-inch deep, that can hold about 1 cup batter. Farinata can be made in a regular cast-iron skillet, but it won't be quite as crisp or easy to remove.

Figs' — of Boston, MA — farinata is very similar to Niçois socca, chickpea-flour cakes with a distinct, nutty flavor. Serve the wedges alongside any green salad.