Yesterday was Falafel Day. While I’ve already provided you a recipe for delicious falafel, a couple years ago, that entry also featured baba ganoush. I decided to give you another option this year: serving it with hummus. But, not just any hummus. Hummus from Michael Solomonov, one of Philadelphia’s more prominent chefs. I went to his hummusiya, Dizengoff, for lunch back in December and was so impressed I went back to the register to purchase a couple of cookbooks as Christmas gifts before I left. But, a funny thing happened when I returned to the office. Knowing my love of cooking and wanting to help introduce me to the Philly cuisine scene, my boss gifted me one of the books I had purchased as a gift myself moments earlier; that book being Zahav, A World of Israeli Cooking!
If you’ve only ever had store-bought hummus, you’re in for a real treat. This hummus is an extremely creamy and flavorful celebration of the humble chickpea. I also give you another one of his recipes, that of a simple cucumber salad that acts as a foil against the savory hummus and nutty falafel. This is a great summer meal option and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. The only thing I would add to this (were it not a weeknight meal) was some pickled onions and some Israeli pickles. But this was still totally delicious nonetheless.
Falafel Salad a la Zahav
featuring Hummus Tehina and Traditional Israeli Salad, Zahav, Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook
Tehina Sauce
½ head of garlic
3 oz fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
1 cup store-bought tahini
¼ tsp ground cumin
¾ cup ice water
Hummus
1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tsp baking soda
1.5 cups prepared Tehina Sauce (recipe above)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
Paprika and extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Traditional Israeli Salad
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¾ tsp lemon juice
Falafel
1 cup dried fava beans
1/4 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans
Small onion, diced
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Garlic clove, minced
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 tsp cumin
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Water (if needed)
Canola oil
Other
Chopped romaine lettuce
Warmed pita bread
24 hours before you want to start preparing the meal, soak the Hummus’ chickpeas with 1 tsp of the baking soda in one bowl, and the Falafel’s fava beans and chickpeas in another bowl. Be sure to cover with plenty of water in each bowl. After 24 hours drain and rinse the beans and keep separate.
Prepare the hummus by placing the drained chickpeas into a pot along the with remaining teaspoon of baking soda. Cover with 4 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove any foam from the surface for a minute or two, then cover and reduce to medium, to maintain a simmer, and cook until the beans are super soft (overcooked, starting to explode). Drain and hold.
While the hummus beans cook, prepare the Tehina by adding in the garlic (don’t bother peeling), lemon juice and a pinch of salt into a blender. Process on high for a few seconds. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to marinate.
Then, pour this mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to exude as much flavorful juice as possible. Then add in the cumin and a pinch of salt, along with the store-bought tahini sauce. Whisk until combined and the mixture starts to seize-up. Then add in ¼ cup ice water, whisking and alternating adding more water in two more batches, until the mixture is perfectly smooth and slowly runs off the whisk. Season with more cumin and salt as desired. Reserve.
Prepare the salad by adding the chopped vegetables and parsley to a bowl. Add in the oil and lemon juice, and season with salt. Stir and let sit, covered, until ready to serve the meal.
Make the falafel. Add in the drained fava beans and chickpeas into a food processor, along with all of the remaining ingredients up to and including the crushed red pepper. Pulse everything together, scraping down the bowl. Add some water, a tablespoon at a time, only if necessary to have everything come together. Form the mixture into small balls tossing them back-and-forth in your hands, giving the mixture light squeezes each time. Reserve until the hummus chickpeas are fully cooked and cooling.
Finish the hummus. Once the chickpeas are fully cooked and cooled to room temperature, rinse out the food processor bowl you mixed the falafel ingredients and combine the drained, cooked chickpeas, with 1.5 cups of the prepared Tehina Sauce, the salt, and cumin. Process until very smooth, a few minutes. Reserve.
Heat oil in a pan to 350 degrees. Drop the falafel in and fry for about 3-5 minutes, rotating the falafel to ensure even cooking. Drain on paper towels and serve warm or at room temperature.
To plate, add some chopped romaine onto one side of a dish and top with the Israeli Salad. On the other side, spread out some hummus with the back of a spoon and sprinkle with paprika. Top the hummus with a few falafel.
Pour the remaining hummus into a serving bowl. Make a divot with the back of a serving spoon and add in any remaining Tehina Sauce in the depression. Sprinkle on some paprika and drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil. Bring to the table with any remaining falafel, salad, and some warmed pita bread.
______________________________
Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
コメント