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Chickpea falafel

Chickpea falafel patties

I’ve been kicking back enjoying a bit of a stay-cation for the past few days. I’ve been favored with blissful weather, good naps, and excellent eating. I confess I haven’t cooked anything interesting other than a batch of paella last week, but we did eat our way through three of Madison’s brasserie/bistro offerings and yes, we are lucky to have so many excellent restaurants in town.

After that bacchanalia of drinks, wines, frites, mussels, steak, frites, duck confit, frites, more wine, more drinks, and desserts we were in the mood for something a bit more healthy, simpler, and yet full of flavor.

Have I introduced you to my favorite sandwich? No, well meet Mr. Falafel, he’s from the chickpea side of the world and he’s an easy friend to make if you have a food processor and a hot pan of oil.

Chickpea falafel patties

Chickpea Falafel
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 large onion
1 bunch of parsley, chop all but an inch of the stems off
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
Several vigorous shakes of tabasco
1 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons flour
vegetable oil for frying

Toss everything but the vegetable oil into the food processor and process until it’s a rough blend but not pureed. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of the workbowl down to get a even consistency. Let it set for 10 minutes while you prepare the yogurt/cucumber sauce and slice some tomatoes and lettuce.

Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce
1 smallish cucumber, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup plain yogurt
dash of lemon juice
salt

Once everything is ready heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot (350 degrees F). Place globs of the falafel in the hot oil and cook until it browns, then gently flip it and cook again until golden brown. Place these golden/green nuggets in a pita pocket along with some Tzatziki sauce, some tomatoes, and some lettuce. Your only regret will be that you didn’t make a double batch.

Chickpea falafel patties

While walking through the nearby Pheasant Branch Conservancy I spied this odd looking thing hanging from the branch of a tree. At first I thought it was a banana slug due to its yellow color and sluggish curl. But it turned out to be inanimate so I was wondering if any of you might know what it is.

July 7, 2009 | Filed Under beans, food, geek fast food, quick and easy, soup, salad, sandwich, vegetable 

comments

9 Responses to “Chickpea falafel”

  1. postcollegecook on July 8th, 2009

    I became addicted to tzatziki after eating at Bar Louie (of all places) a few weeks ago. Both those recipes sound delicious – can’t wait to try them.

    That “odd looking thing” looks like a pelican! I seriously thought it was a bird at first glance.

  2. lo on July 9th, 2009

    Well, if that’s not the most interesting little growth… couldn’t tell you what it is, but it’s definitely fascinating looking.

    And I’ll take that recipe for falafel. My last attempt at homemade was somehow less-than-stellar. And we definitely love a good falafel sammich over at our place.

    Enjoy whatever’s left of your staycation!

  3. Zakiya on July 9th, 2009

    It’s shaped like a pitcher plant. That was the first thing that popped into my mind. However, it would seem out of place hanging from the branch of a tree in Wisconsin. Pitcher plants grow in tropical areas. Anywho – it’s still an unsolved mystery.

  4. Peter F. on July 9th, 2009

    Using a meat grinder with a fine screen give the proper consistency and prevents you from over processing the mixture which will give you an overly dense falafel. Variation, which I prefer uses fava (aka broad) beans instead of chick peas and has a leek and cilantro in the mixture. Also the mixture can be made in a large batches and frozen in smaller portions.

    Also the baking powder should be added after the mixture has been blended but before frying. Also putting sesame seeds on the outside of the patty before frying is very good. Just fry them up to a nice mohagany brown, you get a nice crunchy outside and and soft almost creamy inside.

    And for a middle eastern twist serve with a tahina sauce. You can get Tahina (or tahini) from any middle eastern market. Take the tahin and mix with lime (or lemon) juice, salt, cumin, grated garlic and water to thin to consistency. Enjoy.

  5. MadLisa on July 10th, 2009

    looks delicious! I was wondering where you were hiding these days…

  6. xjm on July 22nd, 2009

    Actually, there are pitcher plants in Wisconsin–and they don’t look like that. I’ve seen them in a bog my class visited in the southeast part of the state. However, they grow in acidic, low-nutrient wetlands (thence the bug-eating adaptation), which Pheasant Branch isn’t.

    Looks to me like a growth caused by a plant virus of some sort.

  7. Kay Fitzgerald on July 24th, 2009

    Friend Tom says it looks like a tree virus.

    K

  8. Eva on July 28th, 2009

    mmm i’ve wanted to make falafel but didn’t want to buy one of those kits at the grocery store. this will definitely be tested.

  9. Kim on August 7th, 2009

    I made this yesterday, and it was good, but way too salty. What did I do wrong? I used a standard 15 oz. can of chick peas. First time making one of your recipes, just discovered you recently.

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