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Caesarea Falafel

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Margi Cintrano View Drop Down
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    Posted: 09 August 2012 at 10:25
This ancient simple to prepare vegetarian burger or patty hails from the Middle Eastern and Gulf Countries along the eastern Mediterranean. It is served throughout the world, however, this recipe comes from Port Haifa where my younger daughter had purchased it from a Street Vendor, very much like, we might purchase a 100% Beef Hot Dog wth stewed onions, German style mustard and kraut in Manhattan ...
 
 
FALAFEL
 
250 grams soaked over night Garbanzos ( chickpeas )
4 spring onions or equivalent amount of leek, minced finely
2 cloves garlic mashed and pounded in Mortar with Pestle
15 grams of fresh Parsley herb
25 grams of minced cilantro herb
1/4 tsp. cayenne
2 tsps. cumin powder
2 tsps. coriander seed ground
1/2 tsp. yeast powder
Olive Oil
salt and black freshly ground pepper
Greek Yogurt Tzatziki
 
1. place the dry chickpeas in a pot of salted water overnight and then the next morning, rinse beans and & then, bring them just to a boil in salted water, turn off the heat, and let it cool. Then, working with a handful at a time in a deep bowl of cold water, rub the beans between your hands. The skins will peel off and sort of float. Keep straining them away as you add handsful of beans.
2. let the chick peas cool, and mix the chickpeas, onion chosen, garlic parsley, cilantro, cumin, yeast, the coriander and the S&P in the Food Processor or Electrically Combine the Ingredients for 40 seconds
3. We need a coarse yet creamy consistency
4. Now mold in a tablespoon the mixture as if you were making meatballs in the form of an empanada, or crescent moon oval and follow step 5
5. Take some day old bread, and grate and add to the combined chickpea mixture
6. Then, place these meat balls on a cooking sheet on top of wax paper or parchment
and refrigerate 1/2 hour
7. prepare the Olive Oil in a large sartén and fry the falafel balls in the olive oil until golden about 4 minutes ( 2 minutes per side ) and place on absorbent towelling to drain oil ...
 
Serve with oven warm pita, a Greek Salad (see recipe in Greece that I posted) and Labneh which is Greek Yogurt, sea salt, orégano, thyme, bay leaf and Evoo
Or Tzatzki ...
 
Have lovely August.
Margaux Cintrano
 
  
 
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Daikon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2012 at 13:10
Tahini sauce also works very well instead of the Tzatziki.  Best is if you can get the flat bread still warm after it was just made by a Bedouin grandmother over an open fire.  A little cucumber and tomato salad either in the sandwich or alongside, and you're in street food heaven.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2012 at 16:11
I've heard a lot about falafel, but never really knew what it was or what it looked like. It looks interesting, and easy.
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Daikon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2012 at 16:39
They can take on slightly different appearances depending on who is making them, whether they're formed by hand or with some sort of scoop, how much parsley is used, etc., but here is a pretty perfect looking falafel to my eye:


Mash (so they don't roll away from you) like three of those guys onto a piece of flatbread while they are still warm, add some tahini and other condiments, roll it up, and you're good to go!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2012 at 17:56
It looks like I have everything to make these, assuming that "yeast powder" is just plain, ol' yeast.
 
By the looks of it, these are basically the size of a typical spaghetti meatball, sightly flattened?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2012 at 18:20
Yup, golf ball size, or slightly smaller.  If you flatten them out too much into lens shapes, then they tend to dry out more....

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Margi Cintrano View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 02:49
Daikon,
 
Thanks for posting your photo and for the wonderful idea ... the Tahine Sesame Paste ...   I am very fond of Falafel ... It is a lovely alternative during extreme temperatures, 35 centigrade, high in the 90s farenheit.
 
Appreciate the suggestions. Falafel is a great alternative to beef or pork combined burgers ... They are relatively very healthy and quite tasty ... Can be prepared as a veggie burger in shape or patty, or as a meatball shape ...
 
With a serving of the Tahine, Hummus and Tzatzkiki, Pita Bread toasted in oven and a Greek Salad -- or Tabouilli salad, tomatoes and cucumbers and you have a very light, nutritious meal ...
 
Tas: the yeast just puffs the chickpea base a bit -- so you do not have flatness in form, and you have a nice chickpea meatball !! This is also great on budget too ... Relatively reasonable on budget if you have the spices ... and the Tahine ... which can be used to prepare your Hummus, babghanuj eggplant dip and other Lebanese or Mid Eastern dishes.
 
Have lovely summer,
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote africanmeat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 10:01

Thanks for making me hungry for falafel i did not do it for long time .
Margi i do my falafel like your recipe only i don't put yeast or baking powder i add 1/2 grated onion.

like Daikon i love it with tahini and i do my flat Bread (pita bread ) in the wood fire oven .i will do it in the next week or 2 a will post it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 10:05
Ahron,
 
Thanks so much for your suggestion ... I am going to try it without the yeast ... I always have Tahine, as I love Hummus & Babaghanuj ... I am going to do it with the Tahine next time I prepare it ... I often prepare it as a laboral day lunch with my expat foreign colleagues ...
 
Have a great August,
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 14:04
Originally posted by TasunkaWitko TasunkaWitko wrote:


By the looks of it, these are basically the size of a typical spaghetti meatball, sightly flattened?
Some people make them a little bigger.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 14:22
Originally posted by The Article The Article wrote:

According to a statement issued by the organisers, the record-breaking falafel (weighing 74.7 kg) was made using 80kg of chickpeas, 5kg of onions, 2kg of fresh parsley and coriander, 1.2kg of garlic, and was deep fried in 350 litres of vegetable oil.
 
Shocked
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 16:02
Great sounding recipe, Margi. But I've never before heard of using yeast. I'll have to give that a try.
 
For a nice change of pace, try making falafal with half chickpeas and half fava beans.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AK1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2012 at 19:53
I'll have to try making this soon. It's one of those dishes that I've never thought to try, just because there's a few places that I can literally walk to in 5-10 minutes & get some falafel when I have the craving.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 August 2012 at 03:18
Good Morning Historic Foodie,
 
Funny thing is ... Spain has very few Jewish Expatriates, and thus, it is not an easy dish to find ... There was an Israeli Restaurant however, they closed in 2009, due to the crisis. Naiomi was the name of the venue ... It had marvelous reviews, and I thought it was quite lovely.
 
I have never seen a Falafel Diner or Street Vendor, so I had learnt to prepare at home. My younger daughter happened to be in Port Haifa a year ago for business and Sent me the recipe. I hesitated to post it, however, after preparing 3 times; I knew the recipe worked.
The yeast: the purpose is that it raises the falafel oval ball a bit --- it is a bit puffier ...
 
Thanks for your compliment ... Appreciate your contribution to my thread.
 
Kind regards and have a lovely summer,
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 August 2012 at 04:21
It's not a Jewish dish.  Falafels came from Egypt and were widespread throughout the Levant before Israeli Jews took to them.  It's actually a point of soreness among some Arabs that many Israeli Jews act as if falafels are distinctively Israeli.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 August 2012 at 04:30
Daikon, Good Morning,
 
Yes, I am aware that Falafel is Egyptian in origin ... None the less, it seems that the dish as you have stated, has travelled to Port Haifa and other Israeli Cities ... and through out globe, however, there are very few Israeli, Jewish Londoners or French Jews etcetra; or Egyptian residents living in Spain ...
 
There are Sefardic Jews, hailing from Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Morocco etcetra and then there are Jews from Russia, The Ukraine, Germany etcetra and they are completely different in their customs and gastronomy and traditions.
 
There is a fairly large Moroccan Expat Community however and a few Afghani and Iraqui Refugees.
 
Best regards.
Margi  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote africanmeat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 August 2012 at 07:42
Sorry to jump in but just some info. Falafel's roots are in Egypt around the first half of the first millennium, made out offava beans  . Falafel probably developed by the Copts in Egypt as the quotient be meat alternative holidays where meat was forbidden . Later spread north into the dish of Syria and Lebanon, there has been prepared especially chickpeas . Falafel is now a common dish throughout the Middle East, including Israel. Following the migration of Israelis and Arabs to the United States and Western Europe, can be found today even in the big cities there. Traditionally the falafel fry and serve with tahini and salad, a sandwich in a pita, or as an appetizer, but today, for reasons of health and weight bakers have the falafel and thus avoid deep frying.
Due to the widespread circulation of falafel in so long many versions were created for food. One can distinguish two main types: small balls of chickpeas coarsely ground, or medium-sized patties Paul grains, especially common in Egypt and Sudan and machinery where tastes. Egypt also use beans to prepare food.hope it will help 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 July 2013 at 10:26
I stumbled on this again today, and remembered that I need to try it. I can't think of anything that is planned for this weekend, so perhaps I shall make some falafel with home-made pitas/khubz....
 
I'd have to skip the herb cilantro, but for me, that's no great loss.....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote africanmeat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 July 2013 at 11:00
funny enough it is on my to do list for this weekend .
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2013 at 07:33
I'd have to skip the herb cilantro

No big deal, Ron. Most recipes I'm familiar with just use parsley, or a combo of both.

BTW, falafel should never be made with cooked beans. Whether using favas, chickpeas, or a combination, they are soaked overnight, rinsed in hot water, and ground. Pre-cooking leads to dry falafel at best, and ones that fall apart in the oil at worst. The ultimate falafel is made by peeling the beans, just as you would do for hummus.

My understanding is that falafel originated in Egypt as a dish made strictly with fava beans (which are called "ful"--pronounced "fool"), which are a major part of Egyption cuisine. Later they spread throughout the eastern Med, and chickpeas were added. Nowadays they are fairly commonly made with either favas, chickpeas, or a combo of the two.

In Israel, to explain Margi's recipe, the tendency is to go with 100% chickpeas. Egyptions still favor all fava bean. And in Lebanon they tend to use a combination of the two.

But it's all good!
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