Homemade falafels with salad and pitta bread

These falafels are baked rather than fried for a healthy take on this simple and delicious Middle Eastern dish. This is designed to be a low cost recipe.

Ingredients

For the falafel

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 x 400g/14oz can chickpeas
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 lemon, zest grated
• salt and black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

For the salad

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice only
• ½ cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 100g/3½oz tomatoes (approximately two medium tomatoes), roughly chopped
• 1 round lettuce, washed, leaves torn
• 4 pitta breads

Preparation method

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan. Fry the onion over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a further two minutes and remove from the heat.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the sautéed onion and garlic and crush together with a potato masher until the mixture is broken down.
3. Add the cumin, mixed herbs and lemon zest and mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the egg and mix together.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Divide the mixture into 16 walnut-sized balls and place on a non-stick baking tray. Rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove the falafel from the fridge, drizzle with the remaining oil and bake for 25 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Turn occasionally to ensure even cooking.
6. Meanwhile place the cucumber, tomato and lettuce in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon into a small bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper and using a fork whisk together with the olive oil to form a dressing. Pour over the salad and mix well.
7. Lightly toast the pitta breads then carefully slice open along one side using a knife.
8. When ready to serve, arrange a little salad in each pitta, top with some of the falafels and add a squeeze of juice from the remaining lemon half. Serve with the remaining salad alongside.

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By Adam Simmonds

From Great British Budget Menu

• Vegetarian

Less than 30 minspreparation time

10 to 30 minscooking time

Serves 4

Falafel burger with hummus

Shape your falafel mixture into large patties to create a great vegetarian burger. Top with lashings of hummus.

Ingredients

For the burgers

• 250g/9oz chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1 medium onion, very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 6 tbsp chopped parsley
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 2 rounded tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• Oil for deep fat frying

For the hummus and tahini sauce

• 125g/4½oz hummus
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 4 large rolls (or hamburger buns)
• 1 fat tomato, sliced
• 1 red onion sliced
• 4 leaves butter lettuce

To accompany

• salad or fries, or sautéed potatoes

Preparation method

1. Drain the chickpeas thoroughly and pulse in the food processor until lightly broken up.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to pulse until you have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Gently form into patties approx. 10cm/4in in diameter by 2½cm/1in. thick.
3. Fry in hot oil at 180C/350F for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp or golden.
4. For the hummus and tahini sauce simply whisk together all the ingredients. If you prefer a lighter sauce add a little water until it is the preferred consistency.
5. To serve, split and warm the rolls. Place in the top of each roll a leaf of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and some red onions.
6. Place the falafel burger on the bottom side of the roll, and some of the sauce.
7. Either serve side by side on a plate, or built up as a burger on a plate with your choice of accompaniment.
8. Cook and refrigerate or freeze any left over burgers for a quick and easy snack.

By Paul Rankin

From Saturday Kitchen

• Vegetarian

30 mins to 1 hourpreparation time

30 mins to 1 hourcooking time

Serves 4

Chicken and rosewater biryani

The rice in a biryani should be so dry and fluffy that when you throw a handful on the floor, all the grains should separate. The secret is to parboil the rice so that the surface is soft and cooked but the centre is still hard, and also to make sure that the main ingredient, i.e. the chicken, mutton, seafood or vegetables, is intensely flavoured but not surrounded by too much ‘gravy’, which will make the rice soggy when the final cooking in a sealed pot takes place.

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 250ml/9fl oz natural yogurt
• 6 garlic cloves, finely crushed
• 6cm/2½in (30g/1oz) piece ginger, finely grated
• 3 green chillies, finely chopped, with seeds
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 500g/1lb 2oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in half

For the crisp fried onions

• 300ml/10fl oz vegetable oil
• 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 10 whole cloves
• 6cm/2½in piece cinnamon stick
• 5 green cardamom pods, bruised with a rolling pin
• 2 Indian bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp salt

For the rice

• 600g/1lb 5oz basmati rice, soaked in cold water for an hour
• 1 tsp salt per 1 litre/1¾ pint of cooking water

To assemble

• 100g/3½fl oz ghee
• pinch saffron soaked in 4 tbsp warm milk for 15 minutes
• 2 tsp rosewater
• 20g/½oz cashew nuts and 20g/½oz shelled pistachios, dry-roasted in a hot pan until golden-brown
• raita, to serve

Preparation method

1. In a shallow bowl large enough to contain all the chicken pieces, combine all the marinade ingredients. Toss to coat well and then set aside to marinate for an hour.
2. For the crisp fried onions, heat the vegetable oil in a sturdy pan or karahi over a medium heat until hot but not smoking (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Add the onions and fry for 10–15 minutes, or until deep golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Set aside. Pour off all but about three tablespoons of the oil from the pan. (You can pour the oil off into a jug and set aside for another use.)
3. Add the whole spices to the pan and fry for one minute. Add the chicken and its marinade, bring to a simmer, then stir in the tomatoes and salt. Simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is clinging to the chicken (add a splash of water to the pan if it catches on the bottom). It’s important that the sauce is almost dry by this stage and just coating the chicken. Keep it warm on a low heat while you cook the rice.
4. For the rice, drain the soaked rice and tip into a large pan of boiling, salted (at a rate of one teaspoon per litre of water) water for 5-7 minutes, or until the rice is just tender but still firm. Drain well. Test that the rice is cooked by squeezing a grain between your fingers – it should be soft and break up at the edges, but stay firm in the middle.
5. Assemble the biryani straight away while the rice is still hot – you are aiming for five layers: rice, chicken, rice, chicken, rice. First pour about three tablespoons of water and half of the ghee into a deep, heavy-based cooking pot or casserole, then spoon in a third of the rice. Sprinkle over about a third of the saffron milk and rosewater, then spread with half of the chicken mixture and a third of the fried onions.
6. Add another third of the rice and repeat as above, using the rest of the chicken. Top with the remaining rice and splash with the remaining saffron milk and rosewater. Set the remaining fried onions aside for now. Drizzle the remaining ghee around the edges of the rice so that it drips down the inside of the pan.
7. Cover with a well-fitting lid. Put over a high heat to get the ghee hot and some steam going – lift up the lid to check. As soon as you see steam rising, turn down to a very low heat and cook for 30 minutes.
8. Spoon out onto a large serving platter and scatter with the rest of the crisp onions and toasted cashews and pistachios. Serve with raita.

By Rick Stein

From Rick Stein's India

Less than 30 minspreparation time

1 to 2 hourscooking time

Serves 6-8

Pimms lollies

Serve these naughty Pimms lollies instead of dessert at a summer barbecue.

Equipment: for this recipe you will need wooden lolly sticks and lolly moulds.

Ingredients

• 300ml/½ pint Pimms, or similar 'fruit cup'
• 850ml/1½ pints lemonade
• handful fresh strawberries, hulled, halved
• few sprigs fresh mint, leaves only
• 1 orange, zest only

Preparation method

1. Mix the Pimms and lemonade together in a large jug.
2. Place a couple of strawberry halves, a few mint leaves and a little orange zest into each lolly mould.
3. Pour the Pimm mixture into each ice lolly mould until three-quarters full. Insert the lolly stick and lid and freeze for 2-3 hours, or until frozen solid.
4. Alternatively, you can use large shot glasses as moulds: place the strawberry, mint and orange zest into the glass and fill with the Pimms mixture. Freeze for one hour, or until the lollies are partially frozen, then insert the lolly sticks and continue to freeze until completely frozen.
5. To remove the lollies, dip the moulds briefly in hot water and carefully remove the lollies.

Dit is een testblog!

Dit is een testblog!