Another win for chickpea power

I’m on a chickpea tear. There seems to be nothing this little bean can’t do, and I’m determined to explore all its possibilities.

One dish I’ve been making for years uses chickpeas in ground form. It goes by various names in its various iterations and homes — socca in Nice, farinata in Genoa, cecina in Tuscany, chila in Mumbai — but I think all modern cooks need to know how to make one no matter where they live or what kind of cuisine is their favorite. That’s because farinata (the name I’ll use this go-round) is as versatile and easy to make as any other pancake, which is really what it is — although it’s sometimes baked instead of cooked on the stove top.

Here’s basically how to make one: You whisk together the chickpea flour (also called gram flour or besan in Indian markets and garbanzo bean flour in natural-foods stores) and water, maybe some olive oil and salt, and you let it sit for a while so the flour absorbs the liquid. (Although I confess to having made it plenty of times without that wait, and it’s been plenty good, too.) Then you pour it into a skillet and cook. What emerges (depending on the ratio of flour and water, the amount of batter, the size of your pan and your cooking method) is something a little caky, a little dense, thicker or thinner, but always crisp on the edges and moist inside, with a nutty flavor.

It’s so good so many ways: simply seasoned with rosemary and salt and served as a party appetizer; as a base for just about any topping imaginable in a gluten-free spin on pizza; or, as I had it at a local takeout joint, drizzled with yogurt and topped with lentils.

Until recently, I’ve always made the base as I described above, the basic way. But when I saw chef Tal Ronnen’s butternut squash farinata in his gorgeous new book “Crossroads,” I followed his lead and cooked small cubes of the squash first, then poured the batter (made even more flavorful and colorful with chopped herbs) over them before baking. This time, the result reminded me a little of the Spanish potato-egg tortilla, something that, unlike the rest of Ronnen’s cooking, is decidedly not vegan.

Could this farinata — perhaps with potatoes the next time I make this — pass for a vegan version of a tortilla? I bet it could. The power of the chickpea, obviously, is unmatched.

Butternut Squash Farinata

8 servings

Serve with a salad of greens of your choice. MAKE AHEAD: The farinata batter needs to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Adapted from “Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes From the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine,” by Tal Ronnen (Artisan, 2015).

1 1/2 to 2 cups chickpea flour

2 cups water, preferably filtered, at room temperature

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon vegan butter (may substitute regular unsalted butter)

2 cups finely diced butternut squash (from a 11/2-pound peeled squash)

1 shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)

Whisk together 11/2 cups of the chickpea flour and the water in a mixing bowl until smooth and free of lumps. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, the thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, whisking until the mixture has the consistency of thin pancake batter; add some or all the remaining chickpea flour as needed. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

Whisk the batter again to bring it back together. Combine the vegan butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the hot skillet, swirling to coat. Once the vegan butter has melted, stir in the squash and shallot; cook, stirring, until soft, 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Make sure the squash and shallot are spread evenly in the skillet; pour the rested batter over them. Carefully transfer to the hot oven; bake for 30 minutes or until the farinata is no longer wet at the center and the edges are browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven; cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

To serve, flip the farinata onto a cutting board and cut into 8 equal wedges, or cut the wedges out of the pan.

Per serving: 170 calories, 4 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 135 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar