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Farinata with hummus, chimichurri, and summer vegetables

Farinata
250 g chickpea flour
450 ml water, cold
Pinch of salt

Hummus
100g dried chickpeas
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1 cloves garlic, crushed, or according to taste
3 ice cubes
water
olive oil
Salt, to taste

Chimichurri
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of coriander
3 Shallots
1 Red Jalapeño pepper
Apple vinegar
Olive oil

Toppings
Courgette, shaved
Fennel, shave
Peas
Edible flower
Maldon Salt
Pepper

Farinata
Combine 250 grams of chickpea flour, 450 milliliters of cold water, and a large pinch of salt until you get a batter with a smooth consistency. Allow the batter to rest for at least two hours and up to 24 hours, during which time it will become bubbly and thicken slightly. When it's time to fry, heat a generous tablespoon of olive oil in a small, nonstick frying pan and add a ladleful of the batter, swirling it around like you would with a pancake to achieve a thickness of about 5 millimeters. Once the edges turn crispy, lift it slightly to check the underside. Once it's a deep golden colour, flip it over and cook the other side, then gently transfer it onto a plate.

Hummus
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and cover them with twice the amount of cold water. Stir in 1 teaspoon of baking soda and let them soak for 24 hours. Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly, then transfer them to a large saucepan. Cover them with cold water and add the remaining baking soda. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chickpeas are tender – they should be easily mashable and almost falling apart.

Allow the chickpeas to cool in the water, then drain them well. Set aside a spoonful of chickpeas for garnishing. In a blender mix the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, a good pour of olive oil, a pinch of salt and 3 ice cubes. Blend until it becomes a smooth purée. If too thick add a bit of water and blend again. Taste the hummus, and add more lemon juice, garlic, or salt to adjust the flavour according to your preference.

Chimichurri
Cut the shallots and the pepper into small cubes and put them in a bowl. Cover the shallots with apple cider vinegar and let them sit for 10 minutes. Snip the leaves of the herbs and finely chop the herbs with a sharp knife and mix them with the shallots and apple cider vinegar. Pour some olive oil over the mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Toppings
You can be creative with your toppings, but some nice options in the summer could be shaved courgette, shaved fennel with lemon juice, freshly cooked peas and edible flowers.

Finish the farinata with a scoop of hummus, drizzled with some chimichurri and arrange all the toppings in a beautiful way on the rest of the farinata, sprinkle some maldon salt and pepper on top.

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