Falafels With Tahini Sauce

Published on August 2, 2014

Falafels are a Eastern Mediterranean dish made with a mashed garbanzo beans mixture that is rolled into balls and deep fried. But you can also think of them as a vegetarian burger. So that I don’t need to use as much oil, I make mine small and use a small skillet with about a 1/3 – 1/2 inch of oil. They are more sautéed than deep fried. Don’t use canned beans or the falafels will be mushy.

Cooking Mediterranean food is kind of a mix and match. You can switch one accompaniment for another. I like falafels with hummus (Party Hummus Oct/2011) and tomatoes. I’ve seen recipes using falafel as stuffing for baked vegetables and inside of pita bread, with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and tahini sauce, as a sandwich. Also try them on a salad made with spring greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, feta cheese and Kalamata olives.

Falafels With Tahini Sauce

Falafels With Tahini Sauce

Falafel

Ingredients

Instructions Place beans and water in a bowl, cover and let soak overnight. Drain water and do not cook. In a large bowl mix onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and soaked beans. Divide into three batches and place first batch in a food processor. Pulse 3 times for 2-3 seconds, scrapping down the sides. You want small pieces, not mush. Form into 35 balls on a cookie sheet. Press the balls down slightly. Chill for 30 minutes. Heat 1/3 -1/2 inch oil in a small skillet being careful not to let the oil get so hot it smokes. Carefully lift falafels off the cookie sheet in batches, about 6 -7, into the heated oil and let cook about 3-4 minutes until golden brown, turn over with tongs and brown the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Tahini Sauce or Party Hummus.
*Trader Joe’s Trader Grotto’s Sicilian (cold pressed) Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a blend of three olives from Sicily, packaged in Italy in a beautiful bottle. It’s light and delicious. Store it in the dark and use up within a month.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

preparing Falafels
preparing Falafels
Falafels with Italian Garden Sauté

Falafels make a great vegetarian meal when served with Italian Garden Sauté.

vegetables in a bowl for an Italian Garden Sauté
flowers at the farmers market
Zebra tomatoes

Fresh garbanzo beans are great in the sauté.

fresh garbanzo beans
branches of garbanzo beans
squash display at the farmer market