Falafel

Ingredients

• 1  bay leaf 
• 0.3 cup breadcrumbs 
• 1  carrots peeled
• 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper 
• 1 rib celery 
• 1.5 teaspoons coriander seeds 
• 12 servings cucumbers diced peeled
• 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds 
• 1 cup chickpeas dried
• 0.3 cup cilantro leaves fresh finely chopped
• 0.5 cup cilantro leaves fresh finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 2 cloves garlic smashed finely chopped
• 12 servings kosher salt 
• 0.3 cup juice of lemon fresh
• 2  lemon zest 
• 12 servings lettuce chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 0.5  onion diced spanish
• 0.5  onion spanish
• 0.5 cup parsley fresh italian finely chopped
• 12 servings pita bread 
• 1 cup tahini 
• 1  bundle thyme fresh
• 12 servings tomatoes diced

Equipment

• food processor
• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• mixing bowl

Directions

1. Watch how to make this recipe.
2. Peanut or other neutrally flavored oil, for frying
3. Drain the chickpeas from the soaking water and place in a medium saucepan. Toss in the garlic, bay leaf, carrot, celery, thyme and onion.
4. Add water to the pan until it covers the chickpeas by about 2 inches of water.
5. Put the pan on a high heat and bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the chickpeas are very soft and tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the heat off.
6. Season the water generously with salt and let sit for 15 minutes.
7. Drain the chickpeas from the cooking liquid and remove the veggies, bay leaf and thyme and discard.
8. To make the falafel: In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas until they look coarse and grainy but are NOT a puree.
9. In a dry saute pan, toast the coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat until they are very aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Pulverize in a spice grinder until they are a powder.
10. Transfer the pulsed chickpeas to a mixing bowl and add the cilantro, parsley, breadcrumbs, cayenne, garlic, lemon zest, onions and ground spices. Gently stir to combine. Taste the mixture to see if the mix needs seasoning, season with salt if needed.
11. Form the mixture into balls the size of walnuts and gently press to make patties. Lightly dust with flour on both sides and pat off excess.
12. Place the patties on a sheet tray and let hang out in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
13. Add oil to a large straight-sided saute pan until the oil is about 1/2-inch deep. Bring the oil to a medium-high heat.
14. Add the falafel to the pan and fry them on both sides until they are brown and crispy.
15. Remove the falafel from the pan and dry on paper towels.
16. Serve the falafel in pitas with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and Tahini Sauce.
17. In the food processor, combine the tahini, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic and cayenne. Puree until smooth. While the machine is running, add the olive oil and about 1/2 cup water. Season the sauce with salt. Taste and re-season, if needed. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.