#131 Baked Falafel

After I successfully made the pita bread, I immediately looked for falafel recipes. Falafel is a traditional Arab food, it is a deep fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans or both, ground fresh parsley, garlic, onion and spices. Believed to have originated in Egypt, first made by the Copts as a replacement for meat during lent, it has spread all over the middle east as street food and around the world. I learned also that in some countries, McDonald's serve "McFalafel". :) I first tried this dish 3 years ago  and it was absolutely divine! And because I have that memory, my expectations were high on this one. I was getting ready to fry it but I found a good recipe for baked falafels. I decided to try the baked ones out of curiosity and to cut on the fats.

And it turned out great! At first I was a little worried because the mixture was too runny, but then it hardened perfectly in the oven.  I made the patties too thin I guess, but the flavors were all there, very very delicious!

Yield: Serves 2-4

BAKED FALAFEL
 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed

and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Wrap onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside. Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Mix garbanzo bean mixture and onion together in a bowl. Stir in the flour and egg. Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from here

 

 

Yes, I will make it again. :)

So yummy!

 

#130 We made Pita Bread!

I was filled with joy when I successfully made pita bread at home, it was almost as delicious as the best tasting pita bread I've ever had! The best tasting one so far is the one that my friend's mom  makes. Aola is a magnificent cook, I just haven't had the chance to ask her for the recipe, will do very soon.  Pita bread is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent in Cyprus, the Balkans, North Africa, the Levant, Iran, Armenia, Turkey, and parts of the Indian Subcontinent. It is served with almost every dish in the Middle East. I've been wanting to do this, but since the total preparation: kneading, proofing and baking time is 3+ hours, I had to do it on a weekend. I failed the first time, so I had to make another batch. After successfully making the Pita Breads, here's what I learned:  It is important to roll the dough into 1/4 inches thick, because rolling it too thinly will prevent it to puff. It is also important to heat your baking sheets before adding the rolled dough on it to cook in the oven. And no matter how tempting it is, never open the oven while it is cooking, doing so will let go of the steam created by the high heat that is much needed to puff the breads in the oven. If your pita breads don't puff, then a pocket in the middle of the bread is not created. Lastly, make sure to put your cooked pita bread in a storage bag immediately after taking it out of the oven, failing to do so will cause the bread to harden. This recipe is very good, the pita breads were so soft, it puffed in the oven, and after a few days in the pantry, it remained soft. The bread will also freeze very well, using a freezer bag for up to a month. It is very hard to replicate pita bread made in  brick or commercial oven, but I was happy with the result using my small oven. My best friend who eats pita bread regularly, tried it last week, and he said that "it's very tasty, and soft, it's great" :)

 

PITA BREAD

Ingredients:

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

Directions:

1.  Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.
2. Combine flour and salt in large bowl.
3. Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.
4. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic.
5. Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.
6. Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated.
7. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
8. Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to also preheat your baking sheet.
9. Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.
10. Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.
11. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.
12. Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags. 

Recipe adapted from here

#88 Kofta Kebab

If you have a bunch of parsley and ground beef or lamb, and is looking for a good dish to make, aside from the same ol'  hamburger, this is one of the most delicious ways to enjoy it. This dish requires 6 different fragrant spices. I was a little skeptical because I am so accustomed to putting very few spices in our food, but I went ahead and spooned and then mixed it in by hand with all the rest of the ingredients. The result? Absolutely divine! Very easy, very tasty with a wonderful flavor that I can now proudly say, "no longer unknown to me!". Since the grilling season has officially started, glad to have discovered how to make this, and surely Kofta Kebabs will be made again many times. Kofta or Kafta, derived from  Persian kūfta is a Middle Eastern, South Asian and Balkan meatball of meatloaf. Usually made with ground lamb, beef, chicken or pork. Kebab, also called kebap, kabab, kebob, kabob, kibob, kebhav, or kephav is a variety of skewered meals (lamb, beef, fish, chicken or goat) that originated from the Middle Eastern countries. Now it is very popular in several European, Southern and Central Asian countries. I made tzatziki to eat with the fragrant kebabs, and the mix of flavors is just amazing. We ate it with rice since we did not have pita bread..(I'm excited to try to make it this week, good luck to me! Ha!).. Traditionally, this is best enjoyed with pita, yogurt sauce, some fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumber. I can see clearly how my next experience with this dish will be. Yum! :) 

Yield: Serves 6

KOFTA KEBAB


Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground lamb or beef
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
10 or more bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions:

1. Mash the garlic into a paste with the salt using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef's knife on your cutting board. Mix the garlic into the lamb along with the onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper in a mixing bowl until well blended. Form the mixture into balls, depending on how big you like your kebabs . Form each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch oval; repeat with the remaining skewers. Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
3. Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning occasionally, until the lamb or beef has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium.

Recipe adapted from SRKELZ, contributor at allrecipes.com

 

 

Portion control is phrase that was suddenly deleted from my vocabulary while having Kofta Kebabs. :)

 It smells so good, appetizing and delicious! :)