mmm...falafel

I am a real sucker for falafel. Whether they are made from broad beans or chickpeas I can't resist a well made falafel wrap with all the salady saucey trimmings. I've attempted to make them a few times before and had only ever had limited success. But that was until I stumbled across this awesome recipe from the wonderful Ottolenghi in his Jerusalem book. I serve mine with turkish flat bread, finely sliced red cabbage, carrot and onion, a few bits of sliced tomato then some tahini and or chilli sauces. Always a household favourite an worth the effort. Seriously - I doubt you'll ever have had falafel as good as this made at home.

Ingredients
250g dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
small bunch of flat leaf parsley, coriander or any mixture, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp water

Oil for deep frying

1. Put the soaked chickpeas, onion, garlic and fresh herbs in a food processor and pulzerise until it is evenly mixed and is starting to come together but not mushy or like a paste.
2. Add the dried spices, water, flour and salt then put on full power for another minute or so or until everything is thoroughly combined and holds together. 
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover then leave to chill in the fridge for at least an hour or until ready to use. I often put the mix together in the morning then cook it up in the evening.
4. When you're ready to cook preheat your oil in a suitable cooking device ( I use a large wok) to a medium temperature. Check the temperature by dropping a small amount of the mixture to see if it sizzles.
5. Using either a couple of table spoons or a small ice cream scoop form the mixture into small falafel balls and place carefully into the oil. Cook until golden on all sides about 3-5 minutes then remove carefully with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain of excess oil.

 

courgette, chickpea and roast tomato salad

Continuing my thread of recipes using up what I've got in my cupboards before I move house is this delicious salad. It's straightforward to prepare and very 'Ottolenghi' in style. I had a jar of wonderful Spanish chickpeas to use that I had bought from Brindisa that are seriously good. Much creamier and quite a lot larger than what you usually get in cans. This recipe brings together several of my favourite ingredients into a tasty and satisfying salad. If you don't like one of the ingredients don't use it - make it vegan by omitting the tuna and egg, maybe add some grilled red peppers for a different flavour, boost the chilli levels, switch the herbs - basically, go with what you fancy, this is your salad. It makes a great summer supper especially if you serve it with some toasted fresh bread.



Ingredients
425g drained, cooked chickpeas
2 courgettes
3-5 tomatoes
3 eggs
olive oil
sherry vinegar or lemon juice
small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp sumac
salt
pepper
1 tin tuna steak in spring water
bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
2 tsp dried or fresh dill
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

Toasted bread to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, quarter the tomatoes and lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes or until they are soft and slightly golden on the edges. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Preheat a griddle pan then slice the courgettes lengthways about 3-5mm thick, brush with a little olive oil mixed with black pepper then place the slices on the griddle pan for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are cooked through and have grill marks on each side. Place to the side until you're ready to assemble the dish.
3. Boil the eggs to your preferred hardness. I like them when the yolk is still a bit soft for salads. Peel and halve ready for assembly.
4. In a large bowl place the chickpeas, tuna, chopped spring onions, chilli flakes, sumac, parsley, dill, a little salt and pepper to taste and a glug each of olive oil and sherry vinegar. Mix together until evenly combined. Taste, then adjust the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper balance to your preference. 
5. You can put this salad together any way you like I opted for a ring of courgettes round the edge of the plate topped with the roasted tomatoes. The chickpea mixture in the middle and the boiled egg halves on top. A final sprinkle of sumac over the top and it's ready to go. 

chickpea mixture

the finished salad

I'm entering this recipe in the July Four Seasons Food Challenge hosted by the lovely people at Chez Foti and Delicieux. 

tomato salad

I love a good tomato salad. It works with most dishes and it's a fantastic way to enjoy tomatoes when they're at their best. I know it's not the tomato season in the UK yet but my local Turkish supermarket had some amazing vine tomatoes in that I just couldn't resist this weekend. The key to making this taste even more delicious is to prepare it at least 30minutes in advance of eating it to allow the flavours to fully develop and to make sure you serve it at room temperature. A cold tomato salad is a tasteless tomato salad. This is super easy to make and goes particularly well with grilled meats such as these spicy harissa chicken skewers



Ingredients
3 large vine tomatoes, sliced finely
2 spring onions finely chopped
generous pinch of salt
several turns of freshly ground black pepper
1-2tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or to taste)
handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
handful of fresh dill, finely chopped

Put all the ingredients together in a serving dish and mix together. Cover with a plate or cling film and set to one side until ready to serve.

turkish pizza

This is a wonderful pizza style dish inspired by the Turkish pide and lahmacun. I am led to believe from my Turkish friends that you place your salad on top of the pide/lahmacun then roll it up. A variation on this recipe would be to break an egg on to the top of the lamb mince a few minutes before it has finished cooking. Also, if lamb isn't your thing you would no doubt get some excellent results using minced beef, perhaps even minced turkey. You could use any basic bread or pizza dough for the base, mine is below.

The dough
1 kg strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
14g fast action dried yeast
4 tbsp olive oil
approx 600-700ml warm water

Topping
500g minced lamb
1/2 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
4 small tomatoes, skinned and finely diced
bunch each of fresh parsley and dill (about 3 tbsps of each when chopped)
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp all spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pine nuts (optional)

Salad
Roughly equal quantities of the following, all finely diced/sliced according to your preference:
1/4 cucumber
10 radishes
5 tomatoes
2 spring onions
large bunch of flat leaf parsley
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Put all the dry dough ingredients into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, Using a butter knife or your hands start to bring the ingredients together. Gradually add the water, little by little, until you have a rough dough. You may not use all the water or you may need to add a little more. Knead the dough in between each addition.
2. Once you have a rough dough turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes or until you have a smooth springy dough. 
3. Place dough in a bowl, cover with lightly oiled cling film then leave in a warm place to rise for about and hour or so.
4. In the mean time combine all the topping ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed. Cover and set to one side until needed.
5. Once the dough has risen uncover it, knock it back and divide into your required number of portions. I split mine into four balls. Each ball will serve 2-3 people generously. Roll the dough out as thin as you can, 2mm is ideal, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with a little olive oil then leave to rise for another 15 mins. In the mean time preheat the oven to 210C.
6. Cover the dough base with an even scattering of the mince topping, sprinkle over a few pine nuts if you wish then bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden and cooked completely.
7. Prepare your salad while the pizza is in the oven. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl then set to one side.
8. Serve topped with salad, roll it up and eat with your hands. Delicious.

(award winning) linguine with breadcrumbs, chili, garlic and anchovy

I love this recipe and there are so many possible variations. I almost always have the ingredients for this in the house so it's a great meal when you haven't got much in or pushed for time. Even if you think you don't like anchovies I urge you to try this recipe. They disappear into the sauce to give a rich and salty flavour to the whole dish. But if you really can't bring yourself to use them leave them out but add some extra olive oil to help the sauce along or try a sundried tomato paste instead. (I've put the complete instructions for this recipe at the end of the post.) This recipe is so good that it one the judges prize in the Instructables Pasta Contest.

Ingredients

250g linguine or spaghetti

70g fresh bread crumbs

1/2 - 1 tsp chili flakes

4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

handful of flat leaf parsley

50g tin anchovy fillets in olive oil

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Heat a cast iron skillet or thick based frying pan and toast the bread crumbs in the olive oil until golden brown. Just before you remove from the heat add in the fennel seeds and lightly toast. Put the crumbs into a dish and set to one side.

Cook the linguine according to the pack instructions in well salted water.

About 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked heat a wide frying pan over a medium high heat.
Carefully pour in the oil from the anchovy tin and cook the garlic and chili flakes until golden. 

Next add the anchovy fillets and using a wooden spoon squish them until they have dissolved into the garlic and chili mix. Add a couple of ladles of the pasta cooking water to help this along so that you end up with a creamy puree.

Once the pasta is cooked add it to the anchovy mixture followed by the black pepper and the parsley.

Finally add the bread crumbs and stir through then serve.

 

Complete Instructions

1. Heat a cast iron skillet or thick based frying pan and toast the bread crumbs in the olive oil until golden brown. Just before you remove from the heat add in the fennel seeds and lightly toast. Put the crumbs into a dish and set to one side. 
2. Cook the linguine according to the pack instructions in well salted water. 
3. About 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked heat a wide frying pan over a medium high heat.
4. Carefully pour in the oil from the anchovy tin and cook the garlic and chili flakes until golden. 
5. Next add the anchovy fillets and using a wooden spoon squish them until they have dissolved into the garlic and chili mix. Add a couple of ladles of the pasta cooking water to help this along so that you end up with a creamy puree. 
6. Once the pasta is cooked add it to the anchovy mixture followed by the black pepper and the parsley. Finally add the bread crumbs and stir through then serve.