[Sca-cooks] Cicera fracta, maccu

[Christiane]

>Bonne said:
><<< I made farinata for my Genoese Yule feast, which i still need to write up.
> I based it on a combination of a similiar recipe in the Miscellany,
>modern farinata recipes, and an Indian dish which is much the same batter,
>steamed instead of baked.
>
>The writing up is rising up my to do list, but im not positive ill get to
>it before the movers pavk my computer. >>>
>
>When you write this up, I'd love to get a copy to put in the Florilegium. Are you planning on just posting the recipe and your redaction? Or an actual article? I'm interested, either way. It just determines whether I add it as an stand-alone article or add it to the flatbread file.
>
>Since this is made from Chickpeas, would this be a good choice for those avoiding wheat flour? (Sorry, I can't think of the term for this right now)
>
>Stefan

I made a version of farinata based that was my reworking of the cicera fracta recipes for a baking contest. 

According to the judges, while an interesting concept, it was too far of a stretch to say cicera fracta could have been a farinata; it really should be interpreted as a porridge.

My version also suffered by having to be served cold. Hot and fresh out of the oven, it was amazing. Seems to be same with all versions of farinata, though - once it gets cold, it gets dense. But farinata could be a good bread-like dish at a feast for those with gluten intolerances and allergies.

I am planning to do cicera fracta as a porridge, though with a twist. There is a Sicilian fava bean porridge called "maccu" (itself based on a medieval Arab dish) and what people like to do with leftover maccu is let is chill overnight so it thickens, then slice it up and fry it into little cakes. I believe the cicera fracta porridge, cooked nice and thick, would behave the same way. Still need to try it, though.

What strikes me about cicera fracta and maccu as a porridge, compared with other later medieval porridges (like the Catalan ones) in Italy or medieval Arab pottages, is that the beans are cooked in water, not meat broth or almond milk.

Adelisa