Falafel Recipe
Trust.
This is quite possibly the most important thing in a marriage. Let me tell you: the Omnivore and I have a whole lot of it. And that amount has only increased the longer we’ve been married. I’ve got some examples:
He no longer asks what’s for dinner. This is either because he A) trusts that it will be delicious or B) knows that no matter his opinion, the choice is mine and mine alone. [I like to think it is option A]
When faced with an ingredient previously unknown to him, he no longer asks “What is that?” Instead, he closes his eyes, opens his mouth, and takes a bite.
Our trust has increased because I don’t let him down. This recipe is no different.
Just before serving this dinner, I informed him that that we’d be having falafel. He nodded and commented, “Oh. I’ve had that before.”
He was bluffing.
But it didn’t matter. He loved it. Even after he found out that it was healthy. And just before taking the last bite, he said, “Do I even want to know what’s in this?” (I think he was suspicious of some ingredient that he thinks he does not like, such as tofu or nutritional yeast or vital wheat gluten).
Falafel (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Healthy Family Cookbook)
- 1 3/4 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 3 T tahini
- 1 egg white
- 2 T parsley
- 1 t cumin
- 2 t lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 t crushed red pepper
- 1/3 c dry bread crumbs
- Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs in your food processor. Blend until smooth. Fold in bread crumbs. Form into falafel balls or patties (your preference). Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes until they begin to brown.
- Yogurt spread
- 3 T yogurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tomato, chopped in a small dice
- Combine.
- For the pita (6 large rounds, adapted from Deborah Madison)
- 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey or barley malt syrup
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cups bread flour
Put the warm water in the mixing bowl, stir in the yeast and honey, and set aside until foamy. Meanwhile oil a bowl for the dough. Stir in the salt and olive oil in the stand mixer bowl and then beat in the whole-wheat flour until smooth. I just used my dough hook all along. Add the rest of the flour in small increments and need until dough is smooth and supple.
Punch the dough down and divide into 6 pieces for 7-8-inch breads. Roll each piece into a ball and then cover them with a damp towel. Let rest 20 minutes. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each ball into a round, about 1/8″ thick.
For the unpocked pitas featured in this recipe, preheat a cast iron pan to med-high heat stovetop. Brush hot surface with olive oil. Place one pita round on the hot iron and bake stovetop or about 3 seconds. Flip pita gently, and continue cooking 30-45 seconds. Repeat with all rounds, keeping cooked breads in a towel.