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falafel with lemon garlic hummus

Falafel Recipe

YIELD 6 servings

TIME 1 hour, plus soaking

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ¾ cups dried chickpeas or 1 cup dried chickpeas plus 3/4 cup dried split fava beans
  • 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
  • ½ onion, quartered
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • Scant teaspoon cayenne, or to taste; or mild chile powder to taste
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
  • Neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola, for deep-frying
  • 3-4 tablespoon of Ithaca Cold-Crafted Lemon Garlic Hummus

PREPARATION

  1. Put beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 to 4 inches — they will triple in volume as they soak. Soak for 24 hours, checking once or twice to see if you need to add water to keep the beans covered.
  2. Drain beans well and transfer to a food processor with all the remaining ingredients except the oil; pulse until minced but not puréed; add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible. (Too much water and your falafel will fall apart. If that happens, add more ground beans.) Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, cayenne or a little more lemon juice as needed.
  3. Put at least 2 to 3 inches of oil (more is better) in a large deep saucepan (the narrower the pan, the less oil you need; but the more oil you use, the more you can cook at one time). Turn heat to medium high and heat oil to about 350 (a pinch of batter will sizzle immediately; a piece of falafel will sink halfway to the bottom, then rise).
  4. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the mixture and shape it into balls or small patties. Fry in batches, without crowding, until nicely browned, turning as necessary; total cooking time per batch will be less than 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
  5. Assemble in pita and add a healthy dollop of our Lemon Garlic Hummus. Enjoy!

Recipe by New York Times

Pita Recipe

YIELD 8 six-inch diameter breads

TIME About 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 35 grams whole-wheat flour (1/4 cup), preferably freshly milled
  • 310 grams unbleached all-purposed flour (2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

PREPERATION

  1. Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
  2. Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
  3. Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
  4. Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  5. Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
  6. Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat diskc with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
  7. Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

Recipe by New York Times