Falafel (with Kofta, Salad, Labneh, and Rice)

Well, my friend and I continue to up our Iftar game: last weekend I made kofta with tahini sauce and salad while she made falafel and rice. We also had some (store bought) labneh with a Sadaf yogurt dip seasoning that I could eat endlessly. I already realized that I love thick yogurt with mint, but the seasoning with labneh?! Holy smokes. I can't wait to eat it with some buttery eggs.

Our dinner was spectacular, with very low stress and total ease on our parts while cooking. We made enough to last 2 rounds of leftovers, and it feels like such a treat. While I did not make the falafel myself, I am pasting her recipe for my future preparations. She has made this several times and it is one of my fave falafel recipes - particularly because it is not a smooth paste, it is more chunky. The result is a more toothsome falafel that is also heavily herbed with cilantro and parsley, which was just so perfect on the warm weekend. I was swooning all of Iftar!

The main thing to note for this falafel (and really the best falafel, in my opinion), is to use uncooked chickpeas. Which means you need dry ones that you then soak overnight. They will expand to 3 times their size, so you need a big bowl and plenty of water. The chickpeas cook when you fry them. Yum.

 Falafel - makes 32 (or so)

• 2 c dry (uncooked) chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 c chopped parsley
• 3/4 c chopped cilantro
• 1-2 minced serrano peppers (with seeds)
• 1 med onion, chopped small
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds (opt)
• 1 1/2 heaping tsp ground cumin  
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3-4 T chickpea flour (or other GF flour)
• Grapeseed or Avocado oil for frying

1. Soak dry chickpeas in water for at least 8 hours overnight, up to 24 hours.
2. Grind chickpeas in a food processor until it resembles course salt/coarse breadcrumbs (not smooth).
3. Mix in all other ingredients, holding the flour.
   
4. Slowly add in flour until mixture is able to be formed into a ball w/out falling apart.
5. Form balls (or ovals) with hands (wetting hands first helps); let rest 30 minutes.
6. Deep fry or pan fry falafel until golden brown and crispy. Place on paper towel to remove excess oil and serve warm. (We did this in my wok, which worked pretty perfectly.)
   

My salad was tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, cucumber, green onions and some spinach, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a little red wine vinegar. It was so good with the tahini sauce and seasoned labneh and the falafel. All the herbs! The fresh lemon! The kofta!

Za'atar Eggs

This is so simple, but so good. Fried eggs, basted in butter, za'atar and sumac, with some cilantro. I've been eating them as is, or with potatoes, or slices of olive bread to sop up the extra spiced butter. And sometimes yogurt too if I have it, which is especially good with the potato iteration. Yum. 

This recipe comes courtesy of Kahlil Omar, who I came across...somehow? and watched his middle eastern style za'atar egg youtube video. I make my own za'atar, but you can also purchase it. The za'atar recipe I make follows, which is by Sylvia of Feasting At Home. The roasted spices smell so good, and it is delicious on just about anything. Sylvia says: "There are many variations of Zaatar. This was my dad’s recipe- he was Egyptian. Other regions have different versions. There is not one “right” way. It varies from area to area, and even household to household." It is delicious on these eggs, but also on labneh, hummus, or as a rub on meat or fish. 

*If you would rather purchase yours, Sylvia recommends this one: Villa Jerada Zaatar Spice Blend from Seattle.

Za'atar Spice Mix

• 1 tablespoon dried thyme- crushed (or sub oregano)
• 1 tablespoon  cumin (see instructions about whole or ground)
• 1 tablespoon  coriander
• 1 tablespoon toasted  sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon sumac
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon or more aleppo chili flakes- optional

1. For the most flavor, toast whole seeds (cumin seeds and coriander seeds) until fragrant, then grind. This will make the most flavorful zaatar. If you don’t have whole seeds, feel free to use ground spices.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

I toasted the cumin/coriander together, then the sesame seeds.

Za'atar Eggs! 

There is no set amount - season heavily. Sumac is a tart, tangy spice available in middle eastern grocery stores. I have tried to harvest it myself, with minimal success on the spice front, but good success on the sumac lemonade/tea front. It is from the sumac berry clusters that you see in the late summer that are so brilliant and red!

• 1-2 T Butter
  
• Eggs
• Za'ater spice mix
• sumac 
• salt
  
• Fresh cilantro
  

1. Melt a pat of butter in your skillet/cast iron pan. 
2. When it is hot, crack two eggs. As they begin to set, sprinkle with a good amount of za'atar, salt and sumac. 
3. Add 1 T butter to the side of the skillet. Tilt the pan slightly as it melts, and spoon it over the egg yolks to baste them. Cook/baste them to your liking. 
4. Sprinkle cilantro over the top, and eat as is, or with some bread-like substance, sopping up the spiced butter. (Kahlil actually ate his eggs just out of the pan with pita bread, which looked delectable!)
   

*I ate these eggs with sliced fried potatoes and yogurt and it was really good. I have also eaten them with my Caraway Olive Bread, which is decidedly a weird combo. But I really love that bread! Making it with sundried tomatoes, sans caraway, might better match these eggs. Injera or some other flat bread would also be delicious.

Kofta

I made a stunning dinner plate last night - it was so beautiful that it felt a shame to be eating it alone! Which is funny because it was largely comprised of leftovers, and also funny because I made and ate it during my one hour dinner break before finishing the day with evening clients. I think I find it so stunning for all the bright colors and the variety, hence the value of leftovers here.

This plate! I was not, for the COVID record, feeling bereft of companionship on this particular day, having spent the weekend with a bevy of beloved people in what turned out to be a rather profound experience of secure attachment, which may also have assisted with the beauty-making here. May we all find nourishment these days, in the multitude of forms that can take, whether we be eating alone or with others. (And may we all get to experience secure attachment. Holy smokes. So much support! Who of us got this? We are all wandering around doing our best, not ever really experiencing the support we needed. Our parents or grandparents either, clearly. I mean, I knew this before, but to actually feel what it is like to have secure guidance and group leadership?! It changes everything.)

So - My dinner plate. The main feature is the kofta, nestled in tahini sauce, accompanied by (leftover) roasted beets and squash with roasted spices. The latter really upped the meal caliber, along with the remains of a simple kale salad. I added a few pickled green tomatoes, some greek yogurt with dried mint, and I roasted a small tomato because one was ripe and red on the counter. :)

If you want to accompany your kofta with some roasted veggies, the highlight of these was that I added some whole cumin and whole coriander when I reheated them in the oven. The toasted spices, plus some dried mint, salt, and fresh ground pepper on top achieved peak deliciousness. Especially dipped in the tahini or the yogurt. 

For the kofta: I did not have parsley, so omitted that and they were still delicious. I include parsley in the recipe below, which is from the cookbook Jerusalem. My version below is modified for just 1 pound of beef (instead of their recipe for half lamb half veal/beef to total 28 ounces), but otherwise sticks to their recipe.

Kofta - serves 3

• 1 pound ground beef (or lamb)
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced/crushed
• 3 T toasted pine nuts (I used walnuts and pecans), chopped
• 1/4 c parsley, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Shape into torpedo like fingers, about 3 inches long (mine were a bit more squat). Press the mix and compress to ensure each kofta is tight and keeps its shape. Arrange on a plate and chill until ready to cook, up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and make tahini sauce (recipe follows). Heat 1-2 T avocado or olive oil in a cast iron skillet and sear the kofta, making sure they are not cramped in the pan. Sear them on all sides until brown, about 6 minutes total.  Place in the oven for 2-5 minutes if you want them medium or well done (they will be somewhat rare after the searing). 

Tahini sauce:

• 1/3 c tahini
• 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T olive oil
• salt
• 1-2 T water
• opt garnish: melted butter, finely chopped parsley, toasted pine nuts, sweet paprika

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Use enough water to make the consistency a bit runnier than honey. 

To serve: Spoon your tahini sauce onto a plate or serving dish, and lay each kofta on top. If you use butter for the kofta, spoon it over each kofta piece right out of the oven (this is extra tasty!), and top with any garnish. Serve immediately. 

Labneh, Beet Hummus, and Chrispy Chickpeas

Seasonal Middle Eastern Appetizers! That is what I decided to make when I hosted my aunties for a family sing. My talented friend teaches rounds and 3 and 4 part harmonies like nobody's business, and has a vast repertoire of traditional songs from all over the world. So. Many. Songs. It does my heart good to have a person like this in my life. Lately I want to host continual and non-stop sings. ha!

So. Singing to feed the heart and soul, and Labneh with cranberries, Beet Hummus, and Chrispy Chickpeas to feed the belly. I was in Iowa City two weeks ago and basically swooned from the Labneh at Oasis Falafel. OMG. I really had not thought much of labneh before. I'd had it, but it seemed nothing to fuss about. Now, there is life with labneh. And it is really easy. Like, so easy you are not doing anything but waiting.

Labneh
32 oz plain full fat yogurt

Labneh with Za'ater

3/4 tsp salt
cheesecloth

Mix salt into yogurt. Spread out cheesecloth over a plate or colander. Pour/spoon yogurt into center of cheesecloth. Tie ends onto your faucet over the sink (or hang somewhere else, or put cheesecloth in a colander over another bowl) and let drip for 24-36 hours. Eat! Keep in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Top with cranberry sauce (follows) or dukkah, or olive oil and za'ater. Eat with veggies, crackers, pita, falafel, kubideh, salad, etc.
*Some people put lemon juice in with yogurt too, I will try that next time. I left mine for about 28 hours and had pretty thick yogurt to start out with. Your labneh texture can be softer or more firm depending on how long you let the whey drip off.

Cranberries to go atop Labneh (title links to original recipe)

Overly thick cranberries!

2 c fresh cranberries
1/2 c sugar
1 T lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 jalapeno, minced (opt)

Put all ingredients into heavy pot over medium-high heat. Once it is boiling, lower heat and cook until cranberries pop. (I left mine too long and it got pretty thick - but still tasty!)

Crispy Chickpeas (suggested amount - make however much you want)
1 1/2 c cooked or 1 can chickpeas
1 T olive oil
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp herbs/spices

These do not keep long - they get chewy as they sit out, and are best right out of the oven. The main thing to know is to dry your chickpeas well, which I have done using a dish towel. This time I made my own chickpeas for the first time in a long while (think my vegetarian days in the early 2000s), cheaper and tasty. Heat oven to 400. Stir dry chickpeas on a sheet pan with the olive oil and salt so that all of them are coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crispy on the outside, shaking or stirring the pan once or twice as they cook. Sprinkle spices over the top (I made za'atar and it was delicious). 

Roasted Garlic Beet Hummus

1 large beet
head of garlic
2 c (or 1 can) chickpeas
2 T tahini
1-2 T olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 tsp sea salt

1) Wrap beet in foil. Roast it and head of garlic (I removed the outer paper only) in a 350 degree oven for about an hour until beet is tender. Remove and let cool. Peel skin off of beet and unpeal garlic cloves. I used about 7 cloves in the hummus, and mixed the rest in eggs the next morning.
2) Mix ingredients in a food processor until smooth. *For a super smooth, creamy hummus you need to have one of those vita-mix type mixers. Maybe an immersion blender would do it too?