Fun with falfels

I made falafels for the first time a few weeks ago, and it wasn't a bad experiment. I didn't expect them to be quite as good as what you can get from a restaurant or mid-east food shop, simply by virtue of the fact that those falafels are always deep fried and thereby inherently crispy and tasty. I have never deep fried anything in my life and don't intend to start now, so my falafels would be slighlty less crisp, but hopefully just as yummy -- or better.

I found a recipe online that looked approachable, and gave it a go. The ingredients are pretty standard: chick peas and a bit of spices for flavour. Easy peasy. (get it?)

Here's the mix prior to being "patty-fied". I think I would have had better luck with full-sized food processor at my disposal. My mini one got quite a workout with this batch and its wee motor was near to smoking. If this batch looks dry, it was. I probably would have achieved a finer mash in a larger machine, and that likely would have kept the mix together better.

Here they are cooking away. Let me warn you that these little patties are like sponges for the oil. I was quite mean with the fat I put in the pan, and it was gone within seconds. It's very tempting to keep adding more, but I left it as is. Again, more oil likely would have resulted in crispier patties, but I opted for health over crunch this time around.

And here's the finished result, nestled in a pita, topped with some cumin yoghurt and a few cucumber slices. These falafels came together quite quickly and made a really tasty lunch. I won't pretend that my patties stayed together, or were at all crunchy, but they were good. This recipe yields a generous amount, and the falafels themselves are nicely spiced and full of flavour. They were best warm, drizzled with tart yoghurt, but they also weren't too bad cold either when I had the leftovers in a salad the next day.

Next time I might opt for a tablespoon or two of tahini in the mix to see if that keeps the patties together better. I read several recipes that called for this, but I didn't have any on hand, and therefore didn't use. It probably what makes for a more moist falafel that doesn't fall apart.

Falafel
Recipe from Nigel Slater

for 2
2 x 400g tins chickpeas (*I used cooked from dry peas, likely 1 1/2 cups)
6 plump cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps ground cumin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsps plain flour
1 tbsp chopped parsley
groundnut oil for deep-frying

These fluffy chickpea fritters from Israel are, to my mind, the finest street food of all. They are easy enough to make at home, either in the traditional manner, as deep-fried, slightly flattened balls, or as little flat patties cooked in shallow fat.

Drain, rinse and dry the chickpeas. Blend in a food processor with the garlic, spices and onion till smooth. Scoop into a bowl and stir in the flour and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the mixture thoroughly - it should be thick enough to roll into balls. With floured hands, roll the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of golf balls, maybe a little smaller. Deep-fry the balls in 10cm inches hot fat. Alternatively, flatten them into patties and shallow-fry them for 2 minutes on each side, till crisp.

Serve them hot, stuffed into warm pitta bread. Traditionally, a cucumber and tomato salad would be stuffed in there too. Although tahine is one of the traditional lubricants for these crisp fritters, I much prefer yoghurt. Particularly when it has had a little cayenne pepper and some chopped mint stirred into it and is spooned over the falafel as you eat.

Baked feta with beetroot and chickpeas

I'm always on the lookout for good, healthful recipes that are easy and will provide leftovers for lunch. As I work in an office with one grungy microwave servicing many, many people, if that lunch doesn't have to be warmed up, all the better.

I'm also a big fan of food writer Nigel Slater, and so, when I stumbled across his recipe for a salad of feta and beets, I was intrigued enough to give it a try.

The recipe seemed to combine things I likeed, and I already had the chickpeas and blood oranges on hand, so all I needed to get was the feta and beets. I took more than few liberties with the intial instructions, but I think my version turned out just fine.

I used far fewer chick peas than called for in the recipe, and less cheese as well (400 g is a heck of a lot of cheese -- especially for two servings!). And I skipped the mint and opted just for parsley instead.

I must say that the salad is best when the feta is warm and wobbly. Let me just say that a baked slab of feta, draped in thyme and olive oil will be a revelation for you. It certainly was for me.

The salad kept very well for lunch the next two days (this made a lot), though the beet juice stained all the chick peas a lovely scarlet red and tinged the cheese pink as well. If you don't mind a purple meal, this could be the ticket for you.

BAKED FETA WITH BEETROOT AND CHICKPEAS
Serves 2

For the chickpeas:
2 medium beetroot *I used three
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 small shallots *I used red oninon
1 tbsp Dijon mustard *I used grainy mustard
a pinch of sugar
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed *I used peas cooked from dry, probably about a cup or so total
2 blood oranges


For the baked feta:
400g feta *be warned..this is a lot
a few sprigs of thyme
a little olive oil

Trim the beetroot but do not peel them. Boil them in deep water (or bake wrapped in foil) for about 40 minutes, till tender. Peel, cut into thick wedges and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Place the feta in a small baking dish, add the thyme leaves and trickle over a little olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is soft and wobbly.

For the dressing, put the vinegar in a small bowl, stir in a ½ tsp of salt, then peel and very finely chop the shallots. Add the shallots to the dressing with the mustard and sugar, then beat in the olive oil. Stir in the chopped parsley, mint and chickpeas. Season with black pepper.

Peel the blood oranges and slice them thinly. Divide the dressed chickpeas between two shallow bowls. Add the oranges and beetroot. Divide the warm feta between the dishes. Pour over any juice from the baking dish (there may be very little) or trickle with a little fruity olive oil.

P.S. I recently read Nigel Slater's Eating for England, which is a collection of playful stories and recollections about the British and how they eat. It's a charming account of culinary icons, not all of which will be familiar to Canadians, but the affection with which Slater writes crosses borders.

Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas)

I think I've mentioned my love of chick peas before, and my new-found appreciation for cooking them from dry. Yes, it's a bit of an extra step to soak the beans the night before, but to me, the improved flavour and texture is totally worth it.

I came across a recipe a for chick peas and spinach a while ago and decided to give it a try. Wow! It's so, so good! Such a great combination of tender chick peas and irony spinach (as in the element, not the noun). It's really easy too.

Here's how it starts...

Cooking the spinach in a bit of olive oil. Is it just me, or is it difficult to find mature spinach these days? Luckily I snagged a bag at Farm Boy on the weekend.

Next, browning the garlic, cumin and pepper.

The recipe calls for a separate pot for this, but I just removed the spinach and let the leftover water evaporate before adding more oil and the spices. Fewer pans to clean is always the way to go.

The original recipe calls for some bread to be added at this stage, to be browned and then later pureed in the food processor. I chose to omit the bread and have it on the side at the end. This eliminated one step, and saved me from cleaning the food processor too. I don't think I missed the bread at all.

Once the spices are toasted, in go the chick peas, tomato sauce and spinach. The recipe called for only a half cup of sauce, but because I bought a small can (387 ml I think), I opted to throw the whole thing in. Also, I didn't really measure out my chick peas, but I probably had over 3 cups of them in total. This dish is pretty flexible, so adding a bit more of everything didn't seem to be a problem.

On that note, I actually added more cumin than the recipe called for as well, and I probably should have put in another clove of garlic. This combo has kick, but I liked it!

And here's the secret ingredient for finishing. I bought smoked paprika especially for this recipe and I'm really glad I did. It has a really nice earthy heat that I think will be so good on many things. It definitely adds a unique warmth to the chick peas.

Voila! The finished dish. I served it on a piece of fried bread (in a little olive oil). The bread gets nice and crispy, and then softens up when you pour over the chick pea stew. Apparently it's served this way in Spain for tapas, and I can definiteloy see why. The mixture is spicy enough to heat your palate, but it's also incredibly filling and satisfying -- especially with the bread. I made this on a weekday after work and it comes together very quickly, and makes lots of leftovers. I ate this plate with a glass of Nut Brown Ale and it was a delicious and healthy meal. Not to mention a great way to end a busy day at work!

This one's going in my rotation of recipes for sure.

Espinacas con Garbanzos [Spinach and Chickpeas]
Adapted from SmittenKitchen

1/2 pound (230 grams) dried chickpeas, cooked until soft and tender* or two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound (450 grams) spinach, washed
A hefty 1-inch slice from a country loaf or about 2 slices from sandwich loaf bread (2.5 ounces or 75 grams), crusts removed and cut inset small cubes
1/2 cup (4 ounces) tomato sauce (I used canned stuff I keep around)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika**
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt (in batches, if necessary) and stir well. Remove when the leaves are just tender, drain in a colander and set aside.

Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread for about 5 minutes or until golden brown all over, then the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more or until the garlic is nutty brown.

Transfer to a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle along with the vinegar, and mash to a paste. Return the mixture to the pan and add the drained chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavors and are hot. Season with salt and pepper.

If the consistency is a little thick, add some water. Add the spinach and cook until it is hot. Check for seasoning and serve with a squeeze of lemon and paprika on top, or on fried bread toasts (as the Spanish do).

*this dish thickened up the next day, so you'll likely have to add a bit of water to loosen the sauce. Or, just smash up the peas and put them in a pocket, or smeared on some bread. Yum.