Falafel Y Farfalle Recipes

FALAFEL-Y FARFALLE

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the chickpeas and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin and cinnamon and cook for another minute so the spices can toast. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, a good pinch of salt and a few turns of pepper and whisk vigorously until emulsified. Add the cooked pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, most of the cilantro, mint and parsley and most of the feta and fold together. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the chickpeas, remaining feta and remaining herbs and enjoy!
• This can be made a day in advance. It's great at room temperature, too.

FALAFEL

Steps:

• Toast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, then coarsely grind in a spice grinder.
• In a food processor, combine the cumin, coriander, soaked chickpeas, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, a few turns of black pepper, the crushed red pepper, flour, and lemon juice and pulse quickly, 80 to 100 times, until the mixture is combined, but still slightly grainy.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Fry a 1-tablespoon test patty until golden and then taste it. Adjust the seasonings in the mixture as desired. Form balls of falafel mixture, 3 tablespoons each, packing them firmly and then flattening them slightly. Fry on all sides until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel.

FALAFEL WAFFLE

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas and fava beans overnight. Grind the beans, parsley, garlic, leek, onion and bell pepper in a meat grinder, double grinding if desired, to get a smoother texture. (Extra batter can be frozen at this stage for later use.) Mix in the coriander, cumin, fennel and salt right before cooking, or the batter will turn.
• Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven fitted with a deep-fry thermometer or preheat a waffle iron.
• Use a falafel maker or hand-form the batter into flattened balls (to ensure even cooking). Deep-fry the falafel until they float to the top and the number of bubbles emanating from each falafel decreases significantly. Or, for falafel waffles, spray a waffle iron with nonstick spray, add a lump of batter and cook until brown and crispy on the outside but still green and soft inside.

FALAFEL

Steps:

• Put beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 to 4 inches - they will triple in volume as they soak. Soak for 24 hours, checking once or twice to see if you need to add water to keep the beans covered.
• Drain beans well and transfer to a food processor with all the remaining ingredients except the oil; pulse until minced but not puréed; add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible. (Too much water and your falafel will fall apart. If that happens, add more ground beans.) Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, cayenne or a little more lemon juice as needed.
• Put at least 2 to 3 inches of oil (more is better) in a large deep saucepan (the narrower the pan, the less oil you need; but the more oil you use, the more you can cook at one time). Turn heat to medium high and heat oil to about 350 (a pinch of batter will sizzle immediately; a piece of falafel will sink halfway to the bottom, then rise).
• Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the mixture and shape it into balls or small patties. Fry in batches, without crowding, until nicely browned, turning as necessary; total cooking time per batch will be less than 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.