Falafel Pitas
By: Kevin Tu
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 - 3:52pm

Ingredients




1/2 pound dried chickpeas
1/2 cup minced scallions
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic-cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 (6-inch) pita breads (with pockets)
cup about 8  vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation

1 Soak chickpeas in cold water to cover by 2 inches, refrigerated, for 24 hours. drain well. 2 Finely grind chickpeas in a food processor. add scallions, parsley, garlic, salt, baking powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and blend until as smooth as possible ( mixture will remain grainy). transfer to a bowl and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. 3 Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 f. 4 Halve pitas crosswise, then stack pockets and wrap in foil. Heat in oven for 10 minutes. 5 Meanwhile form falafel into eighteen  1 1/2 inch wide patties and arrange in one layer on a sheet of wax paper. Heat 21/2 inches vegetable oil in a heavy 4 quart saucepan until it registers 375f on thermometer. fry falafel in batches turning once until golden brown 1 to 2 minutes per batch. transfer to paper towel to drain ( return oil to 375 f between batches.) 6 Fill each pita pocket with 3 falafel patties and top with a heaping spoonful of vegetable  salad. Serve with Tahini sauce.

About


For this middle eastern specially, falafel small, deep fried balls or patties made from spiced coarse chickpea paste is stuffed into a pita with chopped vegetables and a tangy sauce and eaten like a sandwich. it makes a substantial meal. if you've never had homemade falafel you are in for a treat. (recipe by Ruth Reichl