MiddleEastern Falafels, Salads,Tzatziki & Tahini Sauce

I love meals that give a high dose of herbs and vegetables, and this is one of my favorites!

*I serve falafels with tzatziki sauce, rice, salad, and Turkish Milk Bread instead of pita (recipes below or on this blog). Instead of Israeli salad, sometimes I will do Tabbouleh because it has a lot more greens. Also serve with hummus and baba ghanoush (eggplant dip). Drizzle these with evoo and give a sprinkling of paprika. 

Falafel dough: (must soak chickpeas overnight) (originally from Tori Avery)

1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas- do not substitute canned!
1 small onion, roughly chopped
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
3-5 cloves garlic
1 ½ Tbsp flour
1 ¾ tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch ground cardamom
Vegetable oil for frying (or you can bake them at 400 degrees, though they won’t be the same).

Pour chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water.  Let them soak overnight.  They will double in size as they soak.  You will have between 4-5 cups of beans after soaking. 

Drain and rinse well.  Pour them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.  Pulse all ingredients together until a rough, coarse meal forms.  Scrape the sides of the food processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides.  Process until mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and hummus.  But you don’t want hummus!

Once the mixture is the desired consistency, pour it into a bowl and use a fork to stir.  Remove any large chunks the processor missed.  Cover bowl and refrigerate 1-2 hours. 

Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. I prefer to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Meanwhile, form falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a falafel scoop. I usually use about 2 tbsp of mixture per falafel. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference. The balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry.

Note: if the balls won't hold together, place the mixture back in the processor again and continue processing to make it more paste-like. Keep in mind that the balls will be delicate at first; if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won't hold together, you can try adding 2-3 tbsp of flour to the mixture. If they still won't hold, add 1-2 eggs to the mix. This should fix any issues you are having.

Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the center of the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on both sides.

Once the falafels are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon.

Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot; they go best with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita.

Making a falafel pita is actually really simple. The two main ingredients are pita bread and falafel. Cut the pita bread in half to form two “pockets.” Each pocket is a serving size. Stuff the pocket with falafel, as well as any add-ons you fancy.

Here are some traditional add-ons:

Tahini sauce
Shredded lettuce
Diced or sliced tomatoes
Israeli salad (or Tabouli) 
pickled onions
Dill pickles or dolmas
Hummus and or Baba ghanoush 
Tzatziki

Tahini Sauce (dairy and oil free)

• 1 cup tahini sesame seed paste (made from light colored seeds)
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water, or more for consistency
• 3 cloves raw garlic (or 5 cloves roasted garlic)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
• 2 tsp fresh parsley, minced (optional)

Grind tahini paste, lukewarm water, garlic, lemon juice and salt together in a food processor or blender till sauce is creamy and ivory-colored. A food processor is the easiest way to make this sauce; scrape the sides of the processor periodically during processing. If using a blender, you may need to use a long-handled spoon to break up the thick part of the sauce once every 30 seconds; this will keep it from clogging your blender blades. After a few minutes of blending, sauce will turn into a rich, smooth paste. If mixture is too thick, slowly add more water until it reaches the preferred consistency. You may need quite a bit of water depending on the thickness of your tahini paste. If using tahini to top hummus or a meat dish, keep it thick and creamy. As a condiment for pita or falafel, a more liquid sauce is usually preferred. Taste often during the blending process; add more lemon juice or salt, if desired.

When you're happy with the sauce's flavor and consistency, pour it into a bowl. Stir in parsley (optional) till well combined, or garnish sauce with fresh parsley on top. Enjoy!

Tzatziki Sauce (Pat’s favorite)
1 1/2 cups plain lowfat Greek yogurt
1 lb Persian or English cucumbers, peeled and seeded
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh chopped mint or dill
1 clove garlic, crushed (or more to taste)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
Fresh mint sprig for garnish (optional)

• Pulse the cucumbers in the food processor or hand chop to desired texture. I like them chopped small, but not minced. Bigger chunks will result in chunkier tzatziki. It’s a matter of preference. You can also grate them, if you prefer.
• Cut out an 18-inch rectangle of cheesecloth and fold into two layers. Place chopped cucumbers in the center of the double-layered cloth. Gather up the cheesecloth and twist at the top to form a bundle. Squeeze the bundle several times over the sink, twisting the bundle tightly to get rid of as much liquid as possible. If you don't have cheesecloth, use a thin dishtowel instead.
• Place yogurt in a medium mixing bowl.
• Add the drained cucumber pieces from the cheesecloth to the bowl along with the olive oil, chopped fresh mint or dill, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and salt.
• Use a fork or whisk to blend the ingredients together. Taste the tzatziki; add more garlic, lemon juice, or salt to taste if desired. Serve cold. Store in the refrigerator.

Israeli Salad

This salad recipe from Israel is versatile and tasty. Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, onion. (Vegan, kosher, pareve).

Ingredients

• 1 lb Persian cucumbers, diced
• 1 lb fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup minced onion (optional)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp)

Tabbouleh Salad (pictured)

1/3 c. evoo

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground coriander 

pinch cinnamon 

3 c. finely chopped curly parsley 

1 c. Diced English cucumber 

1/3 c. finely chopped fresh mint

1 c. diced tomato 

2/3 c. cooked bulgur wheat (sub couscous)

2 scallions, finely chopped 

*I add a couple leaves of lettuce 

Whisk first six ingredients together, then stir in the others until well coated and refrigerate until ready to serve.