Falafel

From Vegetarian Favourites, Sunset

In the Middle East, where garbanzo beans have provided protein since ancient times, this savory blend with bulgur wheat is a widely consumed classic. Ordinarily deep fried, the crunchy little balls are eaten with a relish and tahini sauce in a pocket. This version is only lightly fried and the shape is changed to a patty, but they're still delicious.











Falafel
Tahini Sauce (recipe follows)
Falafal relish (recipe follows)
½ cup bulgur wheat
2 cups cooked, drained garbanzo beans or 1 can (about 15 ox.) garbanzo beans, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, salt, and crushed, dried red chillies
2 eggs
½ cup fine dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Olive oil
6 six inch pita breads, warmed and halved

Directions:

Prepare Tahini sauce and Falafel relish.

Place bulgur in a small bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine chick peas, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt and chillies; whirl until smooth.

Drain bulgur well. In a medium-sized bowl, beat eggs; then mix in bread crumbs, puréed garbanzo mixture, coriander and bulgur.

Shape mixture into 4-inch patties. Pour oil into a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add patties and cook, turning once, until well browned (about 4 minutes per side).
To serve, cut patties in half and place each piece in a warm pita with tahini sauce and falafel relish.

Tahini sauce. Stir together 6 tablespoons sesame tahini and ¼ cup water until smooth. Mix in 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, 1½ teaspoons olive oil, 1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed, and a dash of ground red pepper (cayenne). Season to taste with salt. Makes about ¾ cup.

Falafel relish. In a bowl, combine 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped, 1 cup finely chopped cucumber, and ¼ cup each finely chopped green pepper, onion, and minced parsley. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Just before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature. Makes about 3 cups.