Cecína with salame Milano, Pecorino cheese and fig jam

• 15 minutes to prepare • 10 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

10 MINUTES 

Cecina is the Tuscan version of the chickpea flatbread, an easy and ancient recipe that goes back to the Etruscans.
It is still very popular along the Tuscan coast, especially in Livorno where you can still ask for a “five and five”, which meant five cents’ worth of bread and five cents’ worth of cecina.

Cecina was born as breakfast but - given its high nutritional content - farmers used to eat it in the fields as lunch, accompanied by pecorino cheese, salami and a glass of Chianti.

Today's recipe is thus something back-to-origins. A fast and easy appetizer, inspired by un pinguino in cucina, which combines chickpea flavour with salame Milano, Pecorino cheese...and fig jam!
Too good to be true.

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

200 g chickpea flour
360 ml water
200 g salame Milano
100 g sliced Pecorino cheese
1 sprig rosemary
fig jam
salt and pepper
EVO oil

1. Whisk together the chickpea flour, a pinch salt and water (add the water gradually to avoid any lumps). When the batter is nice and smooth, add the fresh rosemary leaves, washed and chopped. Stir to mix and place it to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes
2. Pour the flatbread batter into a oiled, hot pan. Bake the cecina for 3 minutes each side, until it’s nice and golden on top
3. Spread 1 tablespoon of fig jam on top and place over some slices of salame Milano and Pecorino cheese. Make sure you eat serve it immediately as it drys out quite fast!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

Etto grammo kilo mezzokilo, | cacio burro prosciutto salame | acciughe salacche baccalà... | son parole del gergo | di questo untuoso reame.*

(Aldo Palazzeschi, Pizzicheria)

*Hecto gram kilo half-kilo | cheese butter ham salami | anchovies herrings salted codfish... | are jargon words | of this oily realm.