Falafel!
INGREDIENTS
-1 14 oz. can chickpeas, pat as dry as possible
-1 small onion, roughly chopped
-2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
-1 tsp salt plus more to taste if necessary
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
-1/2 cup flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 Tbsp cumin
-1/2 Tbsp corriander
-juice of 1 lemon (1 Tbsp)
-1 16 oz. bottle of vegetable oil for frying
PROCEDURE
-Place the drained chickpeas in a bowl. Pat them with a paper towel, get them as dry as possible.
-Chop onion, parsley and garlic. Set aside.
-Mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cumin, corriander, salt and pepper. Set aside.
-Put chickpeas, onion, garlic and parley in the food
processor. Pulse carefully, blending ingredients but
not letting the mixture get too wet. Add dry
ingredients. Pulse until it has the consistancy of
paste, stopping every 15 seconds or so to push the
mixture down with a spatula. Grab a bit with your
hands to test consistency. If it's sticking to your
hands, add more flour.
-Put mixture in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for about two hours.
-Remove the mixture from the fridge and, using your hand, form it into balls. Set them on a plate. They should be about the size of a ping pong ball, maybe a little smaller. You should be able to make 20.
-Heat a whole bottle of vegetable oil in a pot over
high heat until it gets to 375 degrees (If you don't
have a thermometer, about 8-9 minutes). While the oil
is heating, set a large plate with two paper towel
sheets for the fried fritters.
-Drop the balls into the heated oil one at a time using a ladle (not plastic - it'll melt). Fry 4 or 5 at a time for about 5 minutes before taking them out and placing them on the paper towels. They should be dark brown when done. As time passes, the temperature of the oil will continue to rise, so the last batch you fry won't take as long as the first.
**Save in the fridge for up to a week.
Serve in a pita, on a sandwich, or on
a platter with hummus, etc.
