Today's sandwich is one of my very very favorites. I could eat these on a daily basis and be oh-so-happy. It's...
The Falafel.
The falafel is a specialty from the Middle East. Falafel are small balls of ground chick peas or fava beans and spices that are deep fried. Falafel are most ususally served in pita bread as a sandwich.
You can buy falafel fresh, frozen or as a mix. I always buy the mix; it costs me $1.99 and I get 3-4 meals out of one box.
The falafel is a specialty from the Middle East. Falafel are small balls of ground chick peas or fava beans and spices that are deep fried. Falafel are most ususally served in pita bread as a sandwich.
You can buy falafel fresh, frozen or as a mix. I always buy the mix; it costs me $1.99 and I get 3-4 meals out of one box.
Falafels from a mix.But then one day I thought, why not try making them from scratch?
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 small yellow or red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tsp hot chile flakes
2 tb chopped cilantro
Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. Add the chickpeas and whiz again, scraping down the sides until the mix is starting to smooth out. Add the cumin, chile flakes and cilantro and process again until everything is well blended. Scrape into a container with a lid and refrigerate overnight.
Then I formed them into patties and baked them at 400' for 30 minutes, turning once. I'm sure they are not anywhere near authentic, and the texture is softer than the kind I make from a mix, but I thought they were pretty tasty.
Daily Question - What is the strangest sandwich you've ever eaten? Tell us all in the comments below.
Trivia Question 2 - What is another name for cilantro?
12 comments:
What mix do you buy? We tried one from Superstore once and it was an unholy disgusting oily mess - though in fairness, John made them and that might not have helped...
Strange but excellent sandwich was in a small town in Montana (?) at a restaurant called The Staggering Ox (maybe - this was at least 13 years ago). You know how one hotdog places make room in the bun by squishing the insides so the hotdog can just slide in? Well, it was kind of like that but they hollowed out the bread, which was almost the diameter of a coffee mug, and then stuffed it full of meat and tzatziki and veggies. It was strange in appearance, but almost mind blowingly good. We kept a copy of the paper menu for years for sandwich ideas at home, but we could never replicate anything as good as what they made.
Oh look! They have a website now. http://www.staggeringox.com/
Yay!! Another idea for dinner this week! I have only had Falafel once in my life and have completely forgotten about it. Looks like it is time to get re-acquainted!
I really shouldn't admit this, but my favorite sandwich when I was a kid was Spam and peanut butter. I know - gross, but I liked it! I can't remember the taste now and I don't think I will ever, ever try to duplicate it. This is one better left to the past!
I am soo making this at home as I love falafels.
Weirdest sandwich: Mircle whip between two pieces of bread. Seriously...My grandmother made this for my brother and I for lunch at least 2X a week when I was little. It was yucky. Oh and my dad tried to make me eat fried pickled bologna on peanut butter with Mircle whip for lunch once. I think I ate jello that day and probably couldn't get anyone to trade me for Chocodiles. I had a strange Upper Midwest childhood...
I don't know that any sandwiches I've eaten, I would consider strange...but I guess some people might consider pineapple and mayo sandwiches strange. They're really good, though...and better on white bread.
Morgan - I'll have to check and let you know. I have bought it from Superstore before, but can't remember the brand name.
Deborah - Scott loves spam. I will not tell him about your sandwich in fear he may want to try it.
Mary - when I was in my early 20's I would dress a hamburger bun with all the burger fixings, mayo, mustard, relish, ketchup, and eat it without the burger patty.
Clair - I would be one of the people that would consider that a strange sandwich.
Sara,
What it the white sauce that you used on your falafel? I really want to try these at home for my family. I really like the cucumber sauce that is on Gyro's. (Not that I have a recipe for that either)
Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks!
Hi Sabrina, the sauce is tatziki. I don't follow a recipe, but it is peeled and grated cucmber mixed into plain yogurt with a bit of olive oil, some minced garlic and salt and pepper.
I love trivia...
I'm not sure that any sandwich I've eaten is overly strange... at least now to me. But an uncommon one would be scrambled eggs with jam on toast. My roommate in uni introduced me to it and I liked it from the start.
Falafal is high on my list to do. I absolutely love the stuff.
Strangest sandwich...seems just good to me but most people don't like it when I say I really enjoy peanut butter and mayo.
I believe the answer you are looking for is coriander. Coriander is the seed that grows into the cilantro plant. Cilantro are the leaves of the plant, coriander is the seed.
Mike (the lemon guy)
Yay for falafel sandwiches! I used to live near and also went to college near several Middle Eastern restaurants. Heck, we even had our wedding celebration at a Middle Eastern restaurant. I've probably eaten more falafel sandwiches than I care to admit. LOL
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