Chickpea pancake with eggplant

Tradition tells that Torta di ceci was created by accident in 1284, after the Genoese defeated the Pisan fleet in the Battle of Meloria in the sea just off Livorno in Tuscany. During a storm, the cargo of barrels of olive oil and sacks of chickpea flour was spilled onto the decks of the Genoese ships.

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🌍 Bulgarian

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant, cut into 8 lengthwise slices, about 3–4 mm thick

1½ teaspoons salt

olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

pinch of ground chili peppers (optional)

100 g chickpea flour

30 ml grape seed oil/ peanut oil/ olive oil

4 small baguettes or ciabatta rolls, halved

Method

Place the eggplant in a colander over the sink and rub it with 1 teaspoon of salt.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let it drain for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Pat the eggplant slices dry and transfer them to a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway and adding a little more oil to the surface of each slice. Remove from the oven when the edges start to become crispy, but the center of each slice is still tender.
Arrange the eggplant slices in a ceramic dish and sprinkle them with the garlic and chili. Drizzle with a little more oil and set aside to marinate and absorb the flavor of the garlic.
Place the chickpea flour in a large bowl and add 300 ml of water. Whisk for 5 minutes to get rid of all the lumps – the mixture will foam quite a bit. Set aside for 20 minutes or until all the foam has risen to the surface. Remove the foam from the surface, leaving a liquid batter. Add 20 ml of the oil and the remaining salt and stir with a wooden spoon.
Heat a preheated pan and grease it with the remaining oil, pour in the mixture to a thickness of 1.5–2 mm. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. The pancake is ready when it is crispy and golden on top, but still soft in the center.
Cut the pancakes into quarters and place them in the baguettes with a few slices of eggplant and freshly ground black pepper. Ideally, the pancake should be still warm when served.