The Best Falafel EVER, a Pita Question and a fruit recepie...
Okay I'm going to start by saying that I've found an amazing Falafel recepie that always turns out great (or maybe I'm just a good cook, but I'll share anyways)
From The Foods of Israel Today by Joan Nathan
For about 20 balls:
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
2 tbls chopped parsley
2 tbls chopped cilantro
(1/2) - 1 tsp dried red pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4-6 tbls flour
Veggie Oil for Frying
Okay so I've decieded that the key to great falafel is probably the dried chickpeas. This recepie calls for dried chickpeas that are soaked overnight and used raw, I usually forget to do this ahead of time so I pressure cook them for 5-10 minutes and then soak them for an hour or two so that they are still raw but take less time. You can use canned chickpeas for this recepie, but I think the texture of raw crunchy chickpeas plays a big role in thier tastyness.
Anyways mix the drained, uncooked chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, pepper, salt, garlic and cumin in the food precessor and process until blended but not pureed. Then sprinkle in the baking soda and flour, processing slowley and adding more flour until you've got dough that turns into a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.
Refrigerate the mixture for at least a couple hours before frying. When you're ready to fry heat the oil in a pan or wok (I've usually got a cast-iron pan and the wok going at the same time becuase I usually do this for shabbat and end up cooking for like 12 people). When a teeny tiny drop of water fizzels in the oil drop in a ball, if the ball stays together and fizzels a lot everything is perfect. If it doesn't fizzel give the oil a little bit more time, and if it falls apart add a little more flour to the dough. The balls take about 2 minutes on one side and 1 on the other in my experience.
Drain the balls on a papeer towel and serve with warm pita, israeli salad (chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and onion, with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a little sumac) and tahina (1/2 paste, 3/8 water, 1/8 lemon juice, and some crushed garlic) .
The falafel recepie brings me to my question, all of the pita I buy here in the states is not thick enough to support a falafel sanwich, I've made your basic pita before (flour, water and salt n the grill) but I want to experiment with pockets... I'm thinking it'll be yeasted but other than that I've got no idea, have any of you ever successfully made pocketed pita, how did it turn out? Was it thick enough for Falafel?
Now completley changing the subject, after reading the thread in here about pinapple and pepper I saw this amazing recepie in the Washington post food section that I'm going to try out, but I also thought I'd shar it with you.
Tandoori Phal (Grilled Fruits)
4 servings
Seth suggests using hard fruits because they work well on the grill. Figs and other soft fruits will fall apart on high heat, so cook them over indirect heat. A grill basket is necessary here to prevent the fruit from falling into the grill.
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons (from 1 lemon) fresh lemon juice
1 cup orange juice
Pinch of ground cardamom
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh figs, cut in half (may substitute other fruit such as mango)
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (about 1/8 of a whole pineapple)
1 cup pitted dates, such as Medjool
In a small bowl, combine the honey, ginger, lemon and orange juices, cardamom and black pepper.
Place the figs, pineapple and dates in a large bowl and pour the marinade over them, tossing lightly to coat. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to cook the fruit, prepare the grill for indirect cooking. If it is a charcoal grill, build the fire on one side. If it's a gas grill, turn all the burners to preheat and then turn off one burner just before you begin cooking.
Clean the grate with a grill brush.
Drain the fruit, reserving the marinade in the bowl, and place in the grill basket on the side of the grill that does not have the fire. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the fruit is caramelized but not burnt.
While the fruits are grilling, prepare the sauce. In a small pan over medium heat on the stove, heat the reserved marinade until just heated through and the sauce comes to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Divide the fruit among individual bowls and pour the sauce on top. Serve with ice cream.
Per serving: 246 calories, 2 g protein, 64 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber
I copied and pasted that from washingtonpost.com (I think there are a couple other vegan recepies, the article to search for is "Indian Grilling, Fish to Fruit") There was a great picture in the paper, but it's not online so I guess you just have use your imagination, or make it and take pictures for everyone else.
Okay I am done with the longest entry ever!
From The Foods of Israel Today by Joan Nathan
For about 20 balls:
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
2 tbls chopped parsley
2 tbls chopped cilantro
(1/2) - 1 tsp dried red pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4-6 tbls flour
Veggie Oil for Frying
Okay so I've decieded that the key to great falafel is probably the dried chickpeas. This recepie calls for dried chickpeas that are soaked overnight and used raw, I usually forget to do this ahead of time so I pressure cook them for 5-10 minutes and then soak them for an hour or two so that they are still raw but take less time. You can use canned chickpeas for this recepie, but I think the texture of raw crunchy chickpeas plays a big role in thier tastyness.
Anyways mix the drained, uncooked chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, pepper, salt, garlic and cumin in the food precessor and process until blended but not pureed. Then sprinkle in the baking soda and flour, processing slowley and adding more flour until you've got dough that turns into a ball and doesn't stick to your hands.
Refrigerate the mixture for at least a couple hours before frying. When you're ready to fry heat the oil in a pan or wok (I've usually got a cast-iron pan and the wok going at the same time becuase I usually do this for shabbat and end up cooking for like 12 people). When a teeny tiny drop of water fizzels in the oil drop in a ball, if the ball stays together and fizzels a lot everything is perfect. If it doesn't fizzel give the oil a little bit more time, and if it falls apart add a little more flour to the dough. The balls take about 2 minutes on one side and 1 on the other in my experience.
Drain the balls on a papeer towel and serve with warm pita, israeli salad (chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and onion, with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a little sumac) and tahina (1/2 paste, 3/8 water, 1/8 lemon juice, and some crushed garlic) .
The falafel recepie brings me to my question, all of the pita I buy here in the states is not thick enough to support a falafel sanwich, I've made your basic pita before (flour, water and salt n the grill) but I want to experiment with pockets... I'm thinking it'll be yeasted but other than that I've got no idea, have any of you ever successfully made pocketed pita, how did it turn out? Was it thick enough for Falafel?
Now completley changing the subject, after reading the thread in here about pinapple and pepper I saw this amazing recepie in the Washington post food section that I'm going to try out, but I also thought I'd shar it with you.
Tandoori Phal (Grilled Fruits)
4 servings
Seth suggests using hard fruits because they work well on the grill. Figs and other soft fruits will fall apart on high heat, so cook them over indirect heat. A grill basket is necessary here to prevent the fruit from falling into the grill.
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons (from 1 lemon) fresh lemon juice
1 cup orange juice
Pinch of ground cardamom
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh figs, cut in half (may substitute other fruit such as mango)
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (about 1/8 of a whole pineapple)
1 cup pitted dates, such as Medjool
In a small bowl, combine the honey, ginger, lemon and orange juices, cardamom and black pepper.
Place the figs, pineapple and dates in a large bowl and pour the marinade over them, tossing lightly to coat. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to cook the fruit, prepare the grill for indirect cooking. If it is a charcoal grill, build the fire on one side. If it's a gas grill, turn all the burners to preheat and then turn off one burner just before you begin cooking.
Clean the grate with a grill brush.
Drain the fruit, reserving the marinade in the bowl, and place in the grill basket on the side of the grill that does not have the fire. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the fruit is caramelized but not burnt.
While the fruits are grilling, prepare the sauce. In a small pan over medium heat on the stove, heat the reserved marinade until just heated through and the sauce comes to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Divide the fruit among individual bowls and pour the sauce on top. Serve with ice cream.
Per serving: 246 calories, 2 g protein, 64 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber
I copied and pasted that from washingtonpost.com (I think there are a couple other vegan recepies, the article to search for is "Indian Grilling, Fish to Fruit") There was a great picture in the paper, but it's not online so I guess you just have use your imagination, or make it and take pictures for everyone else.
Okay I am done with the longest entry ever!