Saturday Afternoon Falafel

Sitting around on the couch Saturday close to lunch time, I suddenly find myself craving Falafel. It must be because the last time I was at work I went to the Halal street corner vendor and got myself a plate of gyro meat. When I got back to my desk and opened up the carton to get ready to chow down, there was no Falafel….denied. So to satisfy this craving I decide to do what anyone would do, which is to get off the couch and make them!

For those of you who don’t know what Falafel are, a brief description would be; fried balls or patties of ground chickpeas with spices. If you have ever had a gyro or a meat platter from the Halal street corner vendor in Manhattan then you probably have already eaten them. They are the golf ball sized golden brown fried balls or patties that most people eat but can never figure out what the heck they actually are. You may also have had them in a Greek, Egyptian or Lebanese restaurant. Falafel is very popular in the Middle East as a fast food. In Cairo, vendors sell it on the street corners, much like the Dirty Water Hot Dog guy on every street corner in Manhattan. So popular is the Falafel, that in Egypt McDonald's even has their own version of it called the “McFalafel.” Personally, I would love to try that but I doubt Mickey D’s is going to start selling them here. Heck, I’m still waiting for them to bring back the McRib!

Since there are only eight basic ingredients in Falafel, which you probably already have in your pantry, there is no reason you cannot make them at home as well, and here is how:

Ingredients:
• 1 15oz can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans); rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup Onion; finely diced
• 1 clove or Garlic.
• 1 tbsp fresh Parsley; finely chopped
• 1 tsp Coriander
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour (I used Gluten Free Flour)
• ¼ tsp Salt
• Corn or Canola Oil for frying
Method:
1. Fill a small pot with 2 inches of oil (I use a pot with high sides to avoid splattering) and bring oil up to 350° (this is medium-high on my stove top).
2. Put the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, coriander and salt in a food processor and process until smooth; you are looking for a thick paste like consistency.
3. Put the chickpea mixture in a small mixing bowl with the diced onion,  parsley and flour and stir to combine.
4. Using your hands; form golf ball size falafle balls (rolling it in your hands to form a ball). Set aside in a holding plate. 
5. Carefully drop in the falafels off the spoon and fry until golden brown; aprx 2 minutes per side (do not overcrowd your pot or they will not brown nicely; cook in batches of 4 or 5 depending on your pot).
6. Remove falafel from the oil and transfer to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

If you see the falafel is burning or cooking too fast, turn down the flame. You want these to be golden brown, not burnt.

(side note: this recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free flour and Goya Chickpeas which the manufacture states is presently gluten free)

A traditional way to serve this is to take about three of them and toss them in a pita with some shredded lettuce, a slice of tomato and dollop of tzatziki sauce (the recipe for authentic tzatziki sauce can be found in my new upcoming cookbook).

My Awesome Falafels...which my daughter devoured before I even grabbed one.

Food Knowledge: Spices bring a lot of flavor to this simple dish so I would suggest you do not use old spices that have been sitting in your spice rack since 1990. Ground spices loose their flavor after a short time. A better alternative to pre-ground spices is whole spices, which can last a very long time in your cupboard. To use whole spices all you really need is a dry pan and a spice grinder, which is just a coffee grinder that you can get in Bed Bath and Beyond for $20. Just make sure you know which one is your spice grinder and which one is your coffee grinder or your coffee will taste really disgusting.

Just put the amount of spices you need in a dry pan over medium-low heat and toast them for a few minutes, moving the pan around occasionally. You will know they are done when they start to become very fragrant and pop. Put the toasted spices in your new spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

You will be bringing much deeper flavors to your dish from whole spices than any pre-ground spice from a supermarket shelf.