Jerusalem Salad

Last Year's Post: Lemony Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
Two Years Ago:  Dutch Baby

The reason I'm posting this particular recipe now is because Thanksgiving is coming up, which means one thing: leftover turkey.  Serving this salad in the days following Thanksgiving will accomplish several things, all good - it's a dramatic departure in taste from what you'll have been eating, it's very light and healthy, and it's very easy to make.  Since it's served at room temperature, it's also very accommodating for a house full of guests.  And if some of them happen to be vegetarians (or you are), this salad is excellent with tofu in place of turkey, or without either one because it has plenty of fiber and protein already.  It would be fun to set out a big bowl of each of the ingredients and let everyone make their own salad, taking as much or as little of each as they want.

I call this recipe Jerusalem Salad because I found its inspiration in a recipe from the cookbook "Jerusalem" by the famed chef Yotam Ottolenghi.  I'm a big fan of his Middle Eastern style of cooking and the flavors and textures of that cuisine.  The original recipe was for the vegetable salad and the spiced chickpeas; I added the rest of the ingredients to make it an entree salad.  But the vegetable salad and the chickpeas are the stars.  The vegetable salad isn't just tomatoes and cucumbers and onion, but adds radishes and red peppers for additional crunch and flavor.  It's delicious on its own.

The chickpeas are the exotic taste in the salad due to the spice mix of cardamom, cumin and allspice.  I toned down the amount of spice slightly from the original recipe solely due to personal preference.  My suggestion is to toss the chickpeas in the spice mix as written and then taste one before putting them in the skillet, adding more of one or all spices to your taste as desired.

The key to success for salads is to have a variety of textures, colors and flavors so I added pistachios for crunch, quinoa for nuttiness, and yogurt for creaminess.  Sumac is a fun garnish for the yogurt because it adds a little color and has a slightly sharp taste, but paprika would be a good substitute.  Or just don't worry about a garnish.  I'm aware that I worry more about garnishes than most people, although I'm not completely sure what that says about me.

Split, toasted pitas broken into large pieces are excellent served on the side.

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Jerusalem Salad

Serves 4

Note: this salad is excellent served with toasted pita on the side.

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons olive oil

Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons juice

1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper

For the spiced chickpeas:

1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or the equivalent amount of dried chickpeas, cooked)

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the salad:

½ English cucumber

2 cups cherry tomatoes

4-6 radishes, trimmed

1 red pepper, seeded and ribs removed

½ red onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley

2 cups cooked couscous or quinoa

8 large leaves of Bibb or butter lettuce

½ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

2 cups cooked shredded turkey or chicken, optional, or can use tofu instead

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Ground sumac or paprika for garnish, optional

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake vigorously.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

To make the spiced chickpeas, put the spices in a shallow bowl and mix well.  Add the drained chickpeas and stir to coat evenly.  Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and toast the chickpeas in a single layer for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking (you may have to do 2 batches).  Set aside.

To make the vegetable salad, chop the cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, red pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces.   Toss together with the cilantro and parsley.

To plate the salad, place 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 plates.  Top with optional turkey, spiced chickpeas, vegetable salad, couscous or quinoa, and pistachios.  Add a dollop of yogurt to each plate and garnish with sumac or paprika, optional.  Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Baked Falafel

Last Year's Post: Spinach Strawberry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Two Years Ago:  Chile Rellenos (Baked Not Fried)

Since falafel is not only vegetarian but made with chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), and according to The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner beans are one of the superfoods we should eat every day, you would think falafel is pretty much perfect except for the fact that it's fried.  Frying makes it deliciously crunchy on the outside, but it's frying none the less.  So when I found this recipe for baked falafel on the New York Times cooking site, I definitely wanted to try it although I'm always skeptical that baking can duplicate the crunchiness of frying.

I only became more skeptical as I processed the raw-but-soaked beans in the food processor with seasonings, onion, and a bit of lemon juice.  Where's the binder?  I figured there was just no way the mixture would hold together to make patties.  Well, the patties were a bit fragile but they did hold together on the baking sheet.  Flipping them was the test, but was accomplished successfully by being careful and using two small spatulas (one for each side) when flipping.  But the patties were still soft and not crunchy the way they should be.

After baking for the specified time on the second side, the patties were firm but still weren't all that golden so I turned on the broiler for a minute or two.  That was the magic - not only did they brown nicely, the top also became crunchy.  So, I modified the recipe to include a minute or so of broiling time on each side.  During the broiling process, watch them like a hawk - they brown very quickly and can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds.

So now I have my perfect falafel.  It's often served as a sandwich in pita bread with the traditional accompaniments of cucumber, feta, tomato, lettuce, red onion and sauce, but I chose to make it more of a salad so I could bump up the veggies and served some grilled pita wedges on the side. Brushing the pita with a little olive oil and grilling them until nicely grill-marked results in a very crispy pita, much like pita chips.  It's delicious with the falafel, salad and sauce.  And very healthy.  And by the way, the falafel freeze and re-heat just great.

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Baked Falafel

Makes 20 patties, approximately 10 servings

Note that the chickpeas need to soak for 12-24 hours so plan ahead.

1 ¾ cup dried chickpeas

½ cup tahini

1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, quartered

1 tablespoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For serving:

Lettuce leaves

Crumbled feta cheese

Thinly sliced red onion

Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers

Black or green olives

Pita bread – grilled if serving on the side, or soft if using for sandwiches

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 or 4 inches – the beans will triple in volume as they soak.  Soak for 12 to 24 hours, checking occasionally to see if you need to add more water to keep the beans submerged.

Whisk the tahini and ½ teaspoon salt with ½ cup water in a small bowl until smooth.  Set aside.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, parsley or cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, baking soda, and lemon juice.  Pulse until everything is minced but not pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides if necessary.  Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible.  Taste and adjust salt, pepper or cayenne as desired.

Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of oil.  Roll the bean mixture into 20 balls (about 1 ½ inches in diameter) and place on the baking sheet, then flatten very gently into thick patties.  Bake on the first side for 15 minutes, then turn the oven to broil for one minute, watching closely so the patties brown but don’t burn.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the temperature back to 375d.  Carefully flip the patties over (this works best using two small spatulas) and place the baking sheet back in the oven.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then turn the oven to broil and broil for an additional minute or so until the patties are nicely browned.  Watch closely!

Serve immediately with accompaniments and tahini sauce.

Note:  the baked falafel may be frozen and reheated in the microwave or oven.