Recipe of the Month

Falafel

The Jewish Heritage Cookbook had us off out to the shops to re-stock our larder with gram flour, yellow split peas, bulgur wheat, tahini and dried cherries. This is a joyful, luscious book of recipes from ebullient author Marlene Spieler. We've always enjoyed cooking from her "Classic Barbecue and Grill", and here she brings the same vigorous energy and enthusiasm to this surprisingly (to us anyway) lush collection of recipes.

Tantalising combinations include beetroot with fresh mint, a lentil soup that is loaded with fresh lemon juice, delicate spicing in a light chicken, split pea and aubergine koresh, gingered fish balls, Zchug - a condiment of chilli, garlic and cardamom, and Chrain - horseradish and beetroot. And at last, a Falafel recipe that really works, because, as we discover, the secret is - never use either canned or cooked chickpeas. These really don't fall apart when fried.

The Jewish Heritage Cookbook by Marlene Spieler (Lorenz Books stg£16.95)

Falafel

Ingredients

250g dried chickpeas
1 litre water
45-60ml bulgur wheat
1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
75ml chopped fresh parsley
75ml chopped fresh coriander
45ml (3 tbsp) ground cumin
15ml (1 tbsp) ground coriander
5ml (1 teasp) baking powder
5ml (1 teasp) salt
small pinch black pepper
small pinch cayenne pepper
5ml (1 teasp) curry powder with a pinch of cardamom seeds added (optional)
45-60ml gram flour vegetable oil for deep frying
6 pitta breads, hummus, chopped vegetable salad relish, tahini, Tabsaco or other hot pepper sauce, pickles, olives and salads, such as shredded cabbage to serve

Method

1. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and pour over the water. Leave to soak for at least 4 hours, then drain and grind in a food processor.
2. Put the ground chickpeas in a bowl and stir in the bulgur wheat, onion, garlic, parsley, fresh coriander, ground cumin and coriander, baking powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and curry powder, if using. Stir in 3 tablespoons water and leave to stand for about 45 minutes.
3. Stir the gram flour into the falafel batter, adding a little water if it is too thick or a little crumbled wholemeal bread or flour if it is too thin.
4. Using a wet tablespoon and wet hands, shape heaped tablespoons of the falafel mixture into 12-18 balls.
5. Heat the oil for deep-frying in a pan until it is hot enough to brown a cube of bread in 30 seconds. Lower the heat.
6. Add the falafel to the hot oil in batches and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove the cooked falafel with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper before adding more to the oil.
7. Serve the freshly cooked falafel tucked into warmed pitta bread with a spoonful of hummus, vegetable relish and a drizzle of tahini. Accompany with hot pepper sauce, pickles, olives and some salads.

Cook's Tip

If you wish to prepare the falafel ahead of time, undercook them, then arrange them on a baking sheet and finish cooking them in the oven at 190º/375ºF/Gas 5 for about 10 minutes.

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