SIGNATUREDISH Socca

Discover a touch of French Riviera glam courtesy of Claude Bosi’s Mayfair restaurant

Soccawithsatartinade

The food of the Côte d’Azur is known for its sunshine and chic, effortless vibes, elements captured exactly in Mayfair’s Socca. The palette of pastels and baby blue inside and out, art from local artists and waiters are decidedly French, and the menu reflects that, too. Informed by Claude Bosi’s (pictured) memories of eating the food in the south of France as a child, fish and seafood is celebrated, the aperitif menu is plentiful and, of course, there’s the namesake socca – a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. soccabistro.com

Socca with sa tartinade

SERVES 4-6 | PREP 20 MINS PLUS RESTING

COOK 1 HR 20 MINS | EASY | GF

SOCCA

6 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, finely sliced

3 thyme stalks, leaves only, roughly chopped

100g gram flour

1 scant tsp baking powder

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

2 tbsp tinned chickpeas, drained and roughly chopped

SA TARTINADE

250g aubergine, chopped

2 peppers, 1 red and 1 yellow, chopped

1 garlic bulb

1 tsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cook the shallot and thyme leaves for 4-6 mins or until softened. Set aside and leave to cool until needed.

2 Mix the gram flour, baking powder and lemon zest in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Slowly pour in 250ml of warm water, whisking as you go, until a smooth batter forms. Season, cover and set aside for at least 1 hr, or you can also keep in the fridge for up to a day.

3 Smoke the aubergine and peppers over a gas burner for 6-8 mins until the skins are charred and blistered. Alternatively, put them under a high grill for 8-10 mins, turning occasionally. Transfer to a container and cover, letting them steam for 10 mins. Remove the seeds from the peppers, plus the stalks and the charred skin from the aubergine and peppers.

4 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Slice a little off the top of the garlic bulb, drizzle with the olive oil and season. Wrap in foil and roast for 45 mins until softened.

5 Transfer the peppers and aubergine to a food processor along with the garlic flesh, and pulse until it forms a dip consistency. Alternatively, finely chop the peppers and aubergine, mash the garlic and combine. Stir in the lemon juice, zest and season to taste. Cover until needed.

6 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 5. Put the remaining oil in a 23cm non-stick pan and transfer to the oven to heat up for 15 mins. Stir the onion and chickpeas into the batter and carefully pour into the pan – it should sizzle. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-18 mins or until the pancake is set. Loosen the sides with a spatula or knife and carefully flip onto a chopping board – the underside should be golden brown. Cut into squares or triangles.

7 Transfer the sa tartinade to a serving bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Serve with the socca on the side.

PER SERVING (6) 266 kcals | fat 11.3G saturates 1.5G | carbs 25.8G | sugars 3.8G fibre 8.7G | protein 10.8G | salt 0.2G

Menu decoder

Orkney Scallops

Socca uses this seafood from a cluster of islands off the coast of Scotland as part of the raw menu – and for good reason. Orkney scallops are meaty and cleaner in taste, giving a tantalising flavour of the sea.

Gram Flour

This fine flour made from ground chickpeas is also called besan flour, and is the staple ingredient used to make socca/farinata/torta di ceci.

The ingredient is also popular in the Indian subcontinent for dishes including pakoras.

Marguerite de la Riviera

SERVES 1 (SYRUP MAKES 20 SERVINGS) |

PREP 10 MINS PLUS INFUSING | COOK 5 MINS | EASY

PINK PEPPERCORN SYRUP

225ml agave syrup

2 tbsp pink peppercorns

COCKTAIL

20ml freshly squeezed lime juice pink salt to garnish

45ml tequila blanco (we used Código)

25ml Farigoule de Forcalquier Thyme Liqueur

25ml fresh grapefruit juice, plus a strip of peel to garnish thyme sprig, to garnish

1 Combine the agave syrup and peppercorns in a small pan over a low heat for 5 mins until warm, then remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for a few hours, ideally overnight. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and whisk in 30ml of hot water until combined.

2 To make the cocktail, rub a little lime juice on one half of a rock glass rim. Dip into the salt to coat and transfer to the fridge to chill. Meanwhile, add the remaining lime juice, tequila, liqueur, grapefruit juice and 10ml of the infused agave to a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously until sufficiently chilled. Add more ice to the glass and strain in the cocktail. Garnish with the grapefruit peel and thyme.

Bourride

A French-style fish stew, elevated beyond your average soup due to its use of aïoli. At Socca, it’s made with monkfish.

Farigoule Liqueur De Thym

Produced by Distilleries et Domaines de Provence in France, this honey-hued liqueur is made by macerating thyme, sage, angelica and lemon verbena, creating an aromatic and fragrant spirit.