Last week I got the sudden and uncontrollable urge to do a whole-ass cooking project. Like, an all-day affair of cooking. So I took it upon myself to make a really delish Mediterranean meal from scratch. I mean, what else was I going to do? Go to a casino? See a live concert? Hug a friend?
I started by making buckwheat pita based on this NYT cooking recipe. I will not regale you with the details here because A.) I didn’t write the recipe besides using buckwheat flour instead of whole wheat flour, and B.) it was a very long and involved process that I didn’t quite nail, so who am I to tell you how to make it? All there is to say is that it was delicious and fun to make.
The next step was making the falafel, because they needed time to chill in the fridge before cooking. My falafel is heavily inspired by this recipe from Minimalist Baker, but with some important distinctions in cooking time/technique. Also, no offense to Dana, but they need 100% more spices than the recipe asks for.
Then I made 5 minute kalamata hummus. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make and has a delightful ratio of “effort vs. reward” (very low effort for very high reward). Once that was done, I chopped up the “fixin’s” (romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes).
Finally, I cooked the falafel and enjoyed them hot in a pita wrap. So satisfying!
So grab your garbanzos and let’s get started!
**Note: both of these recipes call for a food processor or high-speed blender. If you don’t have one, I really recommend it! I use mine almost every day for chopping/grating/blending. If you have $45 to spend (in this economy?! Get real!) I recommend the one I have.
Yield: 1.5 cups
Total time: A little more than 5 mins, if we’re being honest
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 clove garlic
8 kalamata olives (¼ cup?)
1 Tbs tahini
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbs olive oil
Add chickpeas to a small saucepan with 2 inches of water. With a lid on, simmer on medium heat for about 5 mins, or until the chickpeas are bloated and soft (relatable). Drain well.
Meanwhile, get out your food processor or high-speed blender. Cut the tip off the garlic and, using the side of your knife, crush the garlic and remove the skin.
Add the drained chickpeas, crushed garlic, olives, tahini, and paprika to the food processor and blend on low, scraping down the sides as needed to get everything blent (that's a fake word). It’ll be a little crumbly and thick. Turn off the processor and drizzle in a little olive oil. Blend again, adding more olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Taste it: if it needs salt, add some. If it needs another olive or two, add it. If you want it to be a little spicier, add some cayenne pepper. It’s your hummus! Liberate yourself from the bondage of my recipe!!!
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with olive oil and paprika. Enjoy with fresh baked pita, or store bought pita, or sliced veggies, or spread on a sandwich, or on a spoon by itself. Get creative.
Serves 2-3
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hr 50 min
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 shallot, chopped
½ cup parsley, roughly chopped
2 Tbs sesame seeds
1 Tbs tahini
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Possibly 1 tbs of the flour of your choice
Vegetable oil for pan-frying
Combine chickpeas, garlic, shallots, parsley, sesame seeds, tahini, and spices in a food processor and process on low until a crumbly dough forms. Scrape down the sides to make sure everything blends evenly. Don’t over-process into a paste!!! That’ll make for dense falafel. If it seems weirdly liquidy (I see you didn’t dry your chickpeas…) add a tablespoon of flour. Try not to add too much flour.
Transfer to a bowl and chill for an hour. That’s what, 7 Quibis? 2 eps of Pawn Stars? 1.5 eps of Gourmet Makes? Fill your time how you choose.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove your falafel dough from the fridge and form it into 8-10 ball/disk hybrids. Sort of like you’re making cookies? You don’t want a pancake, but you don’t want a sphere either. Put your balls on a plate and set aside.
Set a cast-iron or otherwise oven-safe skillet over medium heat, and add 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (enough to coat the bottom generously). Get the oil nice and hot and add the falafels carefully, using tongs. Give them their space: if there’s not room for all your falafels in the pan, work in batches, don’t cram them. Let them cook until golden brown, about 7 mins. Use tongs to flip them and cook until the other side is golden brown, another 7-ish mins.
Turn off the stove and carefully transfer the whole pan to the preheated oven. Bake for about 10-15 mins, or until the falafel is deep brown and cooked through.
Serve with pita, over salad, or straight to the face.
I started by making buckwheat pita based on this NYT cooking recipe. I will not regale you with the details here because A.) I didn’t write the recipe besides using buckwheat flour instead of whole wheat flour, and B.) it was a very long and involved process that I didn’t quite nail, so who am I to tell you how to make it? All there is to say is that it was delicious and fun to make.
The next step was making the falafel, because they needed time to chill in the fridge before cooking. My falafel is heavily inspired by this recipe from Minimalist Baker, but with some important distinctions in cooking time/technique. Also, no offense to Dana, but they need 100% more spices than the recipe asks for.
Then I made 5 minute kalamata hummus. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make and has a delightful ratio of “effort vs. reward” (very low effort for very high reward). Once that was done, I chopped up the “fixin’s” (romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes).
Finally, I cooked the falafel and enjoyed them hot in a pita wrap. So satisfying!
 |
| Recipe for tequila soda not included. |
So grab your garbanzos and let’s get started!
**Note: both of these recipes call for a food processor or high-speed blender. If you don’t have one, I really recommend it! I use mine almost every day for chopping/grating/blending. If you have $45 to spend (in this economy?! Get real!) I recommend the one I have.
5-Minute Kalamata Hummus
 |
| Pictured here with its best friend, Pita. She can be a real pain in the ass. Ha! |
Yield: 1.5 cups
Total time: A little more than 5 mins, if we’re being honest
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 clove garlic
8 kalamata olives (¼ cup?)
1 Tbs tahini
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbs olive oil
Add chickpeas to a small saucepan with 2 inches of water. With a lid on, simmer on medium heat for about 5 mins, or until the chickpeas are bloated and soft (relatable). Drain well.
Meanwhile, get out your food processor or high-speed blender. Cut the tip off the garlic and, using the side of your knife, crush the garlic and remove the skin.
Add the drained chickpeas, crushed garlic, olives, tahini, and paprika to the food processor and blend on low, scraping down the sides as needed to get everything blent (that's a fake word). It’ll be a little crumbly and thick. Turn off the processor and drizzle in a little olive oil. Blend again, adding more olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Taste it: if it needs salt, add some. If it needs another olive or two, add it. If you want it to be a little spicier, add some cayenne pepper. It’s your hummus! Liberate yourself from the bondage of my recipe!!!
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with olive oil and paprika. Enjoy with fresh baked pita, or store bought pita, or sliced veggies, or spread on a sandwich, or on a spoon by itself. Get creative.
Fried and Baked Falafel
 |
| Perfectly imperfect <3 |
Serves 2-3
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hr 50 min
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 shallot, chopped
½ cup parsley, roughly chopped
2 Tbs sesame seeds
1 Tbs tahini
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Possibly 1 tbs of the flour of your choice
Vegetable oil for pan-frying
Combine chickpeas, garlic, shallots, parsley, sesame seeds, tahini, and spices in a food processor and process on low until a crumbly dough forms. Scrape down the sides to make sure everything blends evenly. Don’t over-process into a paste!!! That’ll make for dense falafel. If it seems weirdly liquidy (I see you didn’t dry your chickpeas…) add a tablespoon of flour. Try not to add too much flour.
Transfer to a bowl and chill for an hour. That’s what, 7 Quibis? 2 eps of Pawn Stars? 1.5 eps of Gourmet Makes? Fill your time how you choose.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove your falafel dough from the fridge and form it into 8-10 ball/disk hybrids. Sort of like you’re making cookies? You don’t want a pancake, but you don’t want a sphere either. Put your balls on a plate and set aside.
Set a cast-iron or otherwise oven-safe skillet over medium heat, and add 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (enough to coat the bottom generously). Get the oil nice and hot and add the falafels carefully, using tongs. Give them their space: if there’s not room for all your falafels in the pan, work in batches, don’t cram them. Let them cook until golden brown, about 7 mins. Use tongs to flip them and cook until the other side is golden brown, another 7-ish mins.
Turn off the stove and carefully transfer the whole pan to the preheated oven. Bake for about 10-15 mins, or until the falafel is deep brown and cooked through.
Serve with pita, over salad, or straight to the face.
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| So good. So worth it. |