Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Spinach Falafel With Tahini Sauce

* Exported from MasterCook *

                    Spinach Falafel With Tahini Sauce

Recipe By     :Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean by Ana Sortun
Serving Size : 5     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : LowerCarbs                      Veggie

Amount Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
                        Tahini Sauce:
     1/4           cup tahini
     1/4           cup extra-virgin olive oil
     3/4      teaspoon ground cumin
     3/4      teaspoon chopped garlic
1           teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
                        Falafel:
     1/2         small onion -- peeled and finely chopped
4        tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2      teaspoons ground cumin
     1/4      teaspoon ground allspice
                        Ice cubes
     3/4      teaspoon salt -- plus more to taste
1              pound spinach leaves
1               cup milk
     1/3      teaspoon black pepper -- plus more to taste
     3/4           cup chickpea flour
     1/4           cup chickpeas -- cooked or canned
2          teaspoons lemon juice
                        To fry: -- 4 to 6 cups canola oil
                        To dredge: -- 1/4 cup flour
2         rectangles lavash bread
                        To garnish: -- salad greens

1. Place all tahini sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in 1
tablespoon of olive oil. Add the cumin and allspice. Cook, stirring from
time to time, for about 6 minutes, until the onions are soft and
translucent. Reduce the heat to medium if the onions cook too quickly;
they should not brown. Remove the onions from the heat and set aside.

2. Prepare a medium bowl of ice water.

3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and add salt to taste. Drop
the spinach in and cook for 1 minute, until it becomes limp and dark
green. Drain and drop the spinach into the ice water. Let the spinach sit
in the ice water for a couple of minutes until completely chilled.

4. Remove the spinach from the ice water, little by little, squeezing it
dry in small amounts. Squeeze as much water as possible from the leaves
(squeeze hard between the palms of your hands). You should have about 2
cups of blanched spinach.

5. Chop the spinach into small pieces and set aside.

6. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil (when it rises up in the
pan) on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in 3/4 teaspoon
salt and 1/3 teaspoon pepper. Taste the milk to make sure it is seasoned
well and add more salt or pepper to taste.

7. Slowly whisk in the chickpea flour, little by little, until it is so
thick that you can't whisk it anymore. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir
in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; keep stirring for another
minute, until it is incorporated. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for
about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to get your face
too close to the pan because it can bubble and spit, like polenta. When
done, the edges should pull away from the sides of the pan and the mixture
should be very thick.

8. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, onion
mixture, chickpea mixture and chopped spinach. Stir until the ingredients
are incorporated into the chickpea mixture, which is the binder for all
the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Scrape the mixture onto a baking sheet or shallow roasting dish and
chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

10. Form the falafel into 15 or 16 balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

11. Place the canola oil in a large, heavy saucepan or countertop fryer
and heat to 350F.

12. Dredge each falafel ball in flour and carefully drop them one by one
into the hot oil. Cook for about 4 minutes, until golden brown and hot
inside. Remove the falafel from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
Sprinkle lightly with salt.

13. Line a platter with the lavash bread and top them with the hot
falafel. Spoon a couple of teaspoons of tahini sauce over the top of each
falafel and garnish with a few salad greens. Serve immediately, passing
around tahini sauce.

Serves 4 to 6

prep: 50 minutes

total: 1 hour , plus at least 2 hours chilling time

This non-traditional falafel is a light twist on the classic (which is
often too heavy, especially as a side dish or mezze). It pairs wonderfully
with a glass of pinot noir.

Cuisine:
"Mediterranean"
Source:
"Cookthink"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"June 2013"
                                    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 460 Calories; 33g Fat (63.2%
calories from fat); 12g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 7mg
Cholesterol; 470mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat;
1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 6 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26475 0