This month for the Taste & Create event I was paired with the very talented Elizabeth from my old stomping grounds Toronto, Ontario. They are experiencing some enviable summer-like weather for this Greek Orthodox long weekend. We are having some nice weather this weekend as well but I am not headed to the beach as yet. I haven't even tried on my shorts yet this season. It was very easy to choose a dish from E's blog Blog From Our Kitchen , because we have such similar tastes in food. Nicole (aka Myamii) is the brainchild of the Taste & Create event. Each month you are paired with a fellow blogger. You choose a recipe from their site and recreate the dish in your own kitchen. Nicole is a talented and busy American mom blogging from Germany with her blog For the Love of Food .
This month I chose Bacon Wrapped Chicken Logs from Elizabeth's blog. This is their original version here. You can read about that in my previous post.
Elizabeth and her husband decided to make my favourite falafel recipe. Their version of this mainstay is here . They say this has now become their favourite falafel recipe so I am glad that they found something they enjoyed enough to continue to prepare. I love this falafel but love the goat cheese sauce of this recipe as well. These recipes are very versatile because you can adjust the recipe however you like by combining your favourite spices or omitting others. This is a falafel recipe that does require frying in oil, while the recipe for Falafel with Goat Cheese Sauce bakes them in the oven. Both recipes are excellent so I will leave that up to you. Then of course I also tried Ricardo Lerrivee's Falafel with Tarator Bi Tahina Sauce which was incredible as well!!!
You can serve your falafel with harrisa, goat cheese sauce, tahini or as I did in this case with tzadziki; in a pita, naan bread or on its own. Whatever choice you make you will love the combination of flavours!!!
**My Favourite Falafel**
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 T fresh cilantro (or 1 use 1 tsp dried coriander, which I prefer)
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp dried hot red pepper
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 T chick pea stock (from soaking the chickpeas)
1 tsp baking powder
4 - 6 T flour
soybean or vegetable oil for frying
pita breads, tops cut off (naan bread can also be substituted)
diced onion, diced tomatoes
tzatziki sauce, harissa or tahina
************************************
Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, drain reserving 1 T chickpea stock.Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro or coriander, alt, hot pepper, chick pea stock, garlic and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 T of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough of the flour so that dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered for several hours.
Form the mixture into 12 patties. Dust lightly with flour and fry in hot oil, turning frequently until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.Put a patty in a pita pocket, top with sauce, diced tomatoes and onions.
**Harissa**
1/2 lb red chilies, stemmed, seeded, chopped
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp caraway
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
olive oil
**********************
Place peppers and garlic in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Add remaining ingredients except the olive oil and process until smooth. To store, place in a small jar, top with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerator until ready to use.
**Goat Cheese Sauce**
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup (2-oz) soft (log style) goat cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
******************
Combine yogurt, goat cheese, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1 minced garlic clove, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
**Tarator Bi Tahina Sauce**
Juice of one lemon
30 ml (2 T) tahini (sesame paste)
1 clove garlic, chopped
15 ml (1 T) Dijon mustard
5 ml (1 tsp) toasted sesame oil
1 egg yolk
180 ml (3/4 cup) vegetable oil
Water, about 45 ml (1 T)
Salt and pepper
**************
In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, mustard, sesame oil and egg yolk. While whisking constantly, add the vegetable oil in a thin stream, alternating with the water. Season with salt and pepper.
This month I chose Bacon Wrapped Chicken Logs from Elizabeth's blog. This is their original version here. You can read about that in my previous post.
Elizabeth and her husband decided to make my favourite falafel recipe. Their version of this mainstay is here . They say this has now become their favourite falafel recipe so I am glad that they found something they enjoyed enough to continue to prepare. I love this falafel but love the goat cheese sauce of this recipe as well. These recipes are very versatile because you can adjust the recipe however you like by combining your favourite spices or omitting others. This is a falafel recipe that does require frying in oil, while the recipe for Falafel with Goat Cheese Sauce bakes them in the oven. Both recipes are excellent so I will leave that up to you. Then of course I also tried Ricardo Lerrivee's Falafel with Tarator Bi Tahina Sauce which was incredible as well!!!
You can serve your falafel with harrisa, goat cheese sauce, tahini or as I did in this case with tzadziki; in a pita, naan bread or on its own. Whatever choice you make you will love the combination of flavours!!!
**My Favourite Falafel**
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 T fresh cilantro (or 1 use 1 tsp dried coriander, which I prefer)
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp dried hot red pepper
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 T chick pea stock (from soaking the chickpeas)
1 tsp baking powder
4 - 6 T flour
soybean or vegetable oil for frying
pita breads, tops cut off (naan bread can also be substituted)
diced onion, diced tomatoes
tzatziki sauce, harissa or tahina
************************************
Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, drain reserving 1 T chickpea stock.Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro or coriander, alt, hot pepper, chick pea stock, garlic and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 T of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough of the flour so that dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered for several hours.
Form the mixture into 12 patties. Dust lightly with flour and fry in hot oil, turning frequently until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.Put a patty in a pita pocket, top with sauce, diced tomatoes and onions.
**Harissa**
1/2 lb red chilies, stemmed, seeded, chopped
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp caraway
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
olive oil
**********************
Place peppers and garlic in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Add remaining ingredients except the olive oil and process until smooth. To store, place in a small jar, top with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerator until ready to use.
**Goat Cheese Sauce**
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup (2-oz) soft (log style) goat cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
******************
Combine yogurt, goat cheese, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1 minced garlic clove, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
**Tarator Bi Tahina Sauce**
Juice of one lemon
30 ml (2 T) tahini (sesame paste)
1 clove garlic, chopped
15 ml (1 T) Dijon mustard
5 ml (1 tsp) toasted sesame oil
1 egg yolk
180 ml (3/4 cup) vegetable oil
Water, about 45 ml (1 T)
Salt and pepper
**************
In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, mustard, sesame oil and egg yolk. While whisking constantly, add the vegetable oil in a thin stream, alternating with the water. Season with salt and pepper.
