Homemade Falafel

Here's a recipe for falafel that's crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, while still very moist and packed with herb and spice flavor.

Falafels

Falafel salads and wraps are a favourite of Katelyn's but we always struggle to find good falafels in store. So here's a recipe to make them at home and add to a simple (and delicious) salad. 

King of Falafel & Shawarma's Falafel from 'New York a la Cart'

I eat a lot of falafel. It can come from a cart, a restaurant, or even a deli case--I don't really discriminate. But I probably should be more picky because most of the falafel out there isn't great. So much of the falafel I find is either greasy and falling apart or dense and dry. But after making King of Falafel & Shawarma's falafel recipe in Alexandra Penfold and Siobhan Wallace's new cookbook, New York a la Cart, I may stop buying my falafel pre-made (unless of course I happen to be in Astor...

Falafel With Black Olives and Harissa

When I first completed my recipe for falafel, my first thought was "That's great—now how do we make it hotter?" That thought was immediately followed by some digging through the refrigerator for condiments, mixing them into batches of my raw falafel dough to see how they'd taste. I settled on harissa, the North African spice paste.

Middle Eastern Falafel Crisps with Spicy Red Lentil Dip

These falafel-inspired chickpea crisps are a delicious and creative appetizer or snack to serve guests! The accompanying spicy red lentil dip is the perfect complement.

Crabby Falafel 'Sliders'

These crab and chickpea "sliders"* start with a slightly streamlined, miniaturized version of Mantuano's Falafel Crab Cakes (I use canned chickpeas, tweak the spice blend to make it more sandwich-friendly, and add a tiny bit of flour to help the patties hold together more easily during the frying stage), which he describes as from "southern Spain, which owes many culinary inspirations to the Moors of Northern Africa."

Hummus

Everyone should know how to make a great, classic Hummus. It's incredibly fast and easy, and completely incomparable to store bought.

Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

This may very well be the best chickpea salad you ever have in your life. Yotam Ottolenghi - I salute you. Worthy of a meal in itself - and good for you!

Hummus Masabacha (Hummus With Whole Chickpeas)

Hummus masabacha is a popular variant of the Middle Eastern chickpea spread in which most or all of the chickpeas are left whole and tossed with the tahini sauce, instead of being puréed into it. There are endless variations on it, but at its heart, it's as easy as can be, and lots more interesting than your average hummus spread.

Hummus with Lamb

Take plain hummus to another level with this classic variation found in the Middle East that tops it with tasty minced lamb.