* Exported from MasterCook *
   
                      Spinach Falafel With Tahini Sauce
   
  Recipe By     :Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean by Ana Sortun
  Serving Size  : 5     Preparation Time :0:00
  Categories    : LowerCarbs                      Veggie
   
    Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
  --------  ------------  --------------------------------
                          Tahini Sauce:
       1/4           cup  tahini
       1/4           cup  extra-virgin olive oil
       3/4      teaspoon  ground cumin
       3/4      teaspoon  chopped garlic
    1           teaspoon  freshly squeezed lemon juice
                          Falafel:
       1/2         small  onion -- peeled and finely chopped
    4        tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
    1 1/2      teaspoons  ground cumin
       1/4      teaspoon  ground allspice
                          Ice cubes
       3/4      teaspoon  salt -- plus more to taste
    1              pound  spinach leaves
    1                cup  milk
       1/3      teaspoon  black pepper -- plus more to taste
       3/4           cup  chickpea flour
       1/4           cup  chickpeas -- cooked or canned
    2          teaspoons  lemon juice
                          To fry: -- 4 to 6 cups canola oil
                          To dredge: -- 1/4 cup flour
    2         rectangles  lavash bread
                          To garnish: -- salad greens
   
  1. Place all tahini sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
   
  2. In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in 1
  tablespoon of olive oil. Add the cumin and allspice. Cook, stirring from
  time to time, for about 6 minutes, until the onions are soft and
  translucent. Reduce the heat to medium if the onions cook too quickly;
  they should not brown. Remove the onions from the heat and set aside.
   
  2. Prepare a medium bowl of ice water.
   
  3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and add salt to taste. Drop
  the spinach in and cook for 1 minute, until it becomes limp and dark
  green. Drain and drop the spinach into the ice water. Let the spinach sit
  in the ice water for a couple of minutes until completely chilled.
   
  4. Remove the spinach from the ice water, little by little, squeezing it
  dry in small amounts. Squeeze as much water as possible from the leaves
  (squeeze hard between the palms of your hands). You should have about 2
  cups of blanched spinach.
   
  5. Chop the spinach into small pieces and set aside.
   
  6. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil (when it rises up in the
  pan) on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in 3/4 teaspoon
  salt and 1/3 teaspoon pepper. Taste the milk to make sure it is seasoned
  well and add more salt or pepper to taste.
   
  7. Slowly whisk in the chickpea flour, little by little, until it is so
  thick that you can't whisk it anymore. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir
  in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; keep stirring for another
  minute, until it is incorporated. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for
  about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to get your face
  too close to the pan because it can bubble and spit, like polenta. When
  done, the edges should pull away from the sides of the pan and the mixture
  should be very thick.
   
  8. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, onion
  mixture, chickpea mixture and chopped spinach. Stir until the ingredients
  are incorporated into the chickpea mixture, which is the binder for all
  the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
  9. Scrape the mixture onto a baking sheet or shallow roasting dish and
  chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
   
  10. Form the falafel into 15 or 16 balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
   
  11. Place the canola oil in a large, heavy saucepan or countertop fryer
  and heat to 350F.
   
  12. Dredge each falafel ball in flour and carefully drop them one by one
  into the hot oil. Cook for about 4 minutes, until golden brown and hot
  inside. Remove the falafel from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
  Sprinkle lightly with salt.
   
  13. Line a platter with the lavash bread and top them with the hot
  falafel. Spoon a couple of teaspoons of tahini sauce over the top of each
  falafel and garnish with a few salad greens. Serve immediately, passing
  around tahini sauce.
   
  Serves 4 to 6
   
  prep: 50 minutes
   
  total: 1 hour , plus at least 2 hours chilling time
   
  This non-traditional falafel is a light twist on the classic (which is
  often too heavy, especially as a side dish or mezze). It pairs wonderfully
  with a glass of pinot noir.
   
  Cuisine:
    "Mediterranean"
  Source:
    "Cookthink"
  S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
    "June 2013"
                                      - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
   
  Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 460 Calories; 33g Fat (63.2%
  calories from fat); 12g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 7mg
  Cholesterol; 470mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat;
  1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 6 Fat.
   
   
  Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26475 0
  
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