Thread: Tried something new, to me.

The word "halal" means acceptable for Muslims. Like kosher for Jews.
Felafel are best stuffed into pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, maybe
some onion and tzatziki sauce. Like an Israeli taco. To make the
tzatziki mix plain yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, a healthy
shot of Tabasco and a little evoo.
Lynn from Fargo
PS: Near East brand is also good or try Fantastic or Zihad if you can
find it

================================================== ==================
On Apr 10, 7:20*pm, k...@letscook.com wrote:
> Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
> wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
> at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
>
> They are delicious. A little dry but not unpleasantly so. I did want
> to make a sauce or dip to go with them but couldn't think of what to
> make. Any ideas?
>
> On the box the directions gave me two cooking options, frying or
> baking, I chose baking after I sprayed them with a little olive oil
> per directions.http://i25.tinypic.com/14ww3fs.jpg
>
> I also made potato gratin.http://i30.tinypic.com/2vrvnll.jpg
>
> Roasted some little sweet tomatoes. Knock your socks off good.http://i32.tinypic.com/rrtqvn.jpg
>
> Had a very nice dinner.http://i32.tinypic.com/2ug08w0.jpg
>
> The dominant spice in these is cumin which I like so that was fine
> with me. I would like to try these as an ingredient in other dishes
> and see what happens. Sloppy Joes comes to mind for one.
>
> I'm going to Google falafel and see what's up with it.
>
> koko
> ---http://www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
> updated 3/30
> "There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *George Bernard Shaw

[email protected] wrote:
> Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
> wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
> at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
<clip>
> I'm going to Google falafel and see what's up with it.
>
> koko

* Exported from MasterCook *

Moshe's Falafel

Recipe By :New York Cookbook-Molly O'Neill
Serving Size : 7 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Beans
Ethnic

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound dried chick peas -- soaked overnight
3 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 large onion -- finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley -- chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda, disolved in 1/2 cup water
vegetable oil for deep frying

- To serve as a sandwich: Place 4 falafel balls in the pocket of one
pita. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the sesame sauce and 1 tablespoon hot
sauce (to taste) over the falafel. Add some of the lettuce and tomato, a
drizzle more of the two sauces, and top with a pickle. Continue
assembling the remaining falafe
To serve as hors d'oeuvre: Make a dipping sauce of 2 parts sesame
sauce and 1 part hot sauce. Place a bowl of the sauce in the center of a
platter lined with lettuce leaves. Fry and drain the falafel, skewer
each with a toothpick, arrange around the dipping sauce and serve.

In a food processor or blender, grind the soaked chick peas. Add the
garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and baking soda mixture.
Process until smooth. 2. In a large, wide pot, heat oil to a depth of 3
inches until very hot, but not smoking. With a 1 1/2-inch ice cream
scoop, form the falafel mixture into balls the size of golf balls, using
a flat knife or spatula to smooth out the scoop. Carefully slide the
falafel into the oil. Continue shaping falafel and adding them to the
oil, but do not crowd the pot. Cook the falafel until golden brown,
about 3 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until golden brown all over,
about 3 minutes more. Remove the falafel from the pot with a slotted
spoon and drain on paper towels or paper bags. Keep warm while
continuing to fry the falafel until all the mixture is used.
- Sesame Sauce: 1 c. tahini paste 1 clove garlic, crushed juice of 1
lemon 1/4 c. cold water 1/4 tsp. salt dash of black pepper Combine all
ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to
serve. Makes 1 1/2 cups
- Hot Sauce 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce 1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes 1/4
tsp. salt dash of black pepper Combine all the ingredients in a
non-reactive small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring
occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly and thickly coats the
back of a spoon, 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to
cool to room temperature. Serve. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Lynn from Fargo <[email protected]> wrote:

>The word "halal" means acceptable for Muslims. Like kosher for Jews.
>Felafel are best stuffed into pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, maybe
>some onion and tzatziki sauce. Like an Israeli taco. To make the
>tzatziki mix plain yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, a healthy
>shot of Tabasco and a little evoo.

Personally I prefer non-dairy falafel sandwiches, so a combination
of tahini and hot sauce is what I like instead of tzatziki.

>PS: Near East brand is also good or try Fantastic or Zihad if you can
>find it

Near East is good; I've also used frozen, Egyptian falafel (it
more or less require frying, whereas the Near East type mixes
can be baked).

Steve

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
> wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
> at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
>

halal means "permissible" in arabic. the muslim equivilant of kosher.

<snip appetizing photos>

> They are delicious. A little dry but not unpleasantly so. I did want
> to make a sauce or dip to go with them but couldn't think of what to
> make. Any ideas?
>

looks good to me! (though I think they are best fried)

We always had them in pita sandwiches with salad and lots of techina (sesame
paste) thineed out with a little water and lemon, and garlicky hummus.
I bet something tzatziki like would be good too (but I like tzatziki on
nearly anything)

Saerah
(posting with OE because she hit "catchup" in xnews. instead of reply. again
:<)

In article <dEzLj.1292$[email protected]>,
<[email protected]> wrote:

> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
> > Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
> > wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
> > at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
> >
>
> halal means "permissible" in arabic. the muslim equivilant of kosher.
>
> <snip appetizing photos>
>
> > They are delicious. A little dry but not unpleasantly so. I did want
> > to make a sauce or dip to go with them but couldn't think of what to
> > make. Any ideas?
> >
>
> looks good to me! (though I think they are best fried)
>
> We always had them in pita sandwiches with salad and lots of techina (sesame
> paste) thineed out with a little water and lemon, and garlicky hummus.
> I bet something tzatziki like would be good too (but I like tzatziki on
> nearly anything)

Tzatziki was the very first thing that came to mind for me, too.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

[email protected] wrote:
> Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
> wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
> at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
>
> They are delicious. A little dry but not unpleasantly so. I did want
> to make a sauce or dip to go with them but couldn't think of what to
> make. Any ideas?
>
> On the box the directions gave me two cooking options, frying or
> baking, I chose baking after I sprayed them with a little olive oil
> per directions.
> http://i25.tinypic.com/14ww3fs.jpg
>
> I also made potato gratin.
> http://i30.tinypic.com/2vrvnll.jpg
>
> Roasted some little sweet tomatoes. Knock your socks off good.
> http://i32.tinypic.com/rrtqvn.jpg
>
> Had a very nice dinner.
> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ug08w0.jpg
>
> The dominant spice in these is cumin which I like so that was fine
> with me. I would like to try these as an ingredient in other dishes
> and see what happens. Sloppy Joes comes to mind for one.
>
> I'm going to Google falafel and see what's up with it.
>
> koko
> ---
> http://www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
> updated 3/30
> "There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
> George Bernard Shaw

I make Tzatziki sauce to dip them in...

Tzatziki Sauce
From: Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

* 2 (8 ounce) containers plain yogurt
* 2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and diced
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 lemon, juiced
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
* 3 cloves garlic, peeled

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive
oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Process until
well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at
least one hour for best flavor.

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:20:52 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
>wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
>at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
>
>They are delicious. A little dry but not unpleasantly so. I did want
>to make a sauce or dip to go with them but couldn't think of what to
>make. Any ideas?
>
>On the box the directions gave me two cooking options, frying or
>baking, I chose baking after I sprayed them with a little olive oil
>per directions.
>http://i25.tinypic.com/14ww3fs.jpg
>
>I also made potato gratin.
>http://i30.tinypic.com/2vrvnll.jpg
>
>Roasted some little sweet tomatoes. Knock your socks off good.
>http://i32.tinypic.com/rrtqvn.jpg
>
>Had a very nice dinner.
>http://i32.tinypic.com/2ug08w0.jpg
>
>The dominant spice in these is cumin which I like so that was fine
>with me. I would like to try these as an ingredient in other dishes
>and see what happens. Sloppy Joes comes to mind for one.
>
>I'm going to Google falafel and see what's up with it.
>
>koko
>---
>http://www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
>updated 3/30
>"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
> George Bernard Shaw


I made falafel from scratch for the first time last weekend. If you
can start with dried & soaked chickpeas, you'll get a deeper flavor.
It was a big hit.

Boron

The recipe I liked was in the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/di...=1&oref=slogin

Recipe: Falafel

Time: 1 hour, plus 24 hours’ soaking

1 3/4 cup dried chickpeas
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 small onion, quartered
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Scant teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup chopped parsley or cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, for frying.

1. Put beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 or 4 inches;
they will triple in volume. Soak for 24 hours, adding water if needed
to keep beans submerged.

2. Drain beans well (reserve soaking water) and transfer to a food
processor. Add remaining ingredients except oil; pulse until minced
but not puréed, scraping sides of bowl down; add soaking water if
necessary to allow machine to do its work, but no more than 1 or 2
tablespoons. Keep pulsing until mixture comes together. Taste, adding
salt, pepper, cayenne or lemon juice to taste.

3. Put oil in a large, deep saucepan to a depth of at least 2 inches;
more is better. The narrower the saucepan the less oil you need, but
the more oil you use the more patties you can cook at a time. Turn
heat to medium-high and heat oil to about 350 degrees (a pinch of
batter will sizzle immediately).

4. Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter and shape into balls or small
patties. Fry in batches, without crowding, until nicely browned,
turning as necessary; total cooking time will be less than 5 minutes.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

On Apr 10, 8:55*pm, Lynn from Fargo <lynng...@i29.net> wrote:
> To make the
> tzatziki mix plain yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, a healthy
> shot of Tabasco and a little evoo.

Garlic. Quite a bit of garlic in my tzatziki.

Cindy Hamilton

[email protected] wrote:
> Ever since I saw Sarah Grey's post about falafel in abf I've been
> wanting to try it. I finally did last night. I bought some frozen ones
> at T.J's. I bought Al Safa brand. Under the name is the word halal
>
> They are delicious. A little dry but not unpleasantly so. I did want
> to make a sauce or dip to go with them but couldn't think of what to
> make. Any ideas?
>

I tried making falafel once - from box mix. Teleman's brand maybe -
something like that anyway. Add water, mix and fry. Simple and very good
in a pita with tzaziki, lettuce and tomato, as has been mentioned.

One of the cafeterias at work offers them on occasion. They make them
huge - like smallish baseballs and wrap them in a tortilla with all the
fixings.

I would really like to try and make them from scratch one of these days.

-Tracy

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:55:01 -0700 (PDT), Lynn from Fargo
<[email protected]> wrote:

>The word "halal" means acceptable for Muslims. Like kosher for Jews.
>Felafel are best stuffed into pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, maybe
>some onion and tzatziki sauce. Like an Israeli taco. To make the
>tzatziki mix plain yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, a healthy
>shot of Tabasco and a little evoo.

no mint?

your pal,
blake