It always amazes me that having eaten breakfast in England we can be enjoying a late lunch in Italy looking up to the sun and taking in the aromas of the streets: jasmine blossoms and linden trees fighting for our olfactory attention against smokey Vespas, buttery patisserie, melting chocolate, over-ripe peaches, the pizzeria with its ubiquitous perfume of woodsmoke and melting cheese and this traditional Tuscan chickpea pancake known as la cecìna (also known as farinata or socca in France) made with just five ingredients: gram flour, warm water, olive oil, rosemary and salt. It has an unbelievable flavour, a crispy top and fluffy centre and is a perfect example of one of Italy’s lesser known street foods beloved by children as they return home from school. If you’re lucky, you may also come across a little bar offering small slices to savour with your evening aperitivo. The version below features sliced spring onions, fresh oregano leaves and dried chilli but this recipe is for the classic interpretation. Prepare the batter in the morning and set aside for several hours to ferment.

Makes one large pancake, enough for 2-3 people

Ingredients

125g chickpea flour
1 tsp of sea salt
400ml of wam water
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked

How I make it

Pass the flour through a fine sieve and place it into a large bowl. Mix in the salt and then slowly add the water whisking all the time in order to achieve a smooth consistency. Stir in the olive oil and cover with a cheesecloth. Set aside to ferment for at least five hours or overnight if possible.

Heat an oven to 200C.

Place a 30cm non-stick oven-safe frying pan on a medium heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil and two thirds of the rosemary leaves. Allow the leaves to sizzle for a couple of minutes, pour in the batter and slide into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle over some sea salt flakes and more rosemary leaves. Slide onto a large platter and serve immediately.