| course | country | time | difficulty |
| starter, also suitable for main | Lebanon | 1h + 24h resting time | medium |
Unfortunately, I missed to post the last days - I hope you don't mind. My attention was a bit occupied by our latest (and cutest) family member Oskar ^^. We got him from the animal shelter on Saturday and he really is adorable. I'd like you to meet Oskar:
BTF (back to food): The meal of the day is inspired by the Lebanon and is especially nice for vegans and vegetarians, because of the large amount of plant based protein.
It's composed of different mezze (oriental form of tapas or antipasti), which are traditional served as starter but are also suitable as main course.
It takes some time to assemble everything, but it's totally worth it!
This was the first time I've made falafel by myself and I was really impressed - these were by far the best falafel I've ever had! Try it out, and tell my how you liked it!
Falafel
Ingredients
yield 10 falafel (~2.5in/6cm)
| imperial | metric | |
| 8oz | 225g | dry chick peas |
| 1 | onion | |
| 2 | garlic cloves | |
| 1/2 bunch | of parsley (~80g/3oz) | |
| 1 tsp | cumin | |
| 1/4 tsp | salt | |
| pinch | pepper | |
| 3 tsp | flour | |
| 1/2 | baking powder | |
Instruction
- submerge chick peas in cold water and leave for at least 12h, better for 24h
- strain chick peas and use a grinder or blender to mash them up
- chop onion and garlic finely or blend them as well
- mix pea puree, onion, garlic and all other ingredients and blend them again until the mixture is well malleable
- store in the fridge until use (of course you want to finish everything else, before deep-frying them)
- heat oil (wooden spoon test: bubbles > oil is hot enough)
- deep-fry falafel until golden brown
Hummus
Ingredients
yield 1 small (cereal) bowl
| imperial | metric | |
| 8.5oz | 240g | (strained) canned chick peas |
| 3 tsp | tahini(sesame paste) | |
| 6 tsp | lemon juice | |
| 6 tsp | olive oil | |
| 3 tbsp | 50ml | liquid of canned chick peas |
| 2 | garlic cloves | |
| 1 tsp | cumin | |
| 1/4 tsp | chili powder | |
| 1/2 tsp | salt | |
| for decoration | ||
| paprika powder | ||
| olive oil | ||
| parsley | ||
Instruction
- chop up all ingredients (besides these listed under decoration)in a blender
- add liquid when needed and add more spices/salt if you want to
- hummus is usually served with a small "lake" of olive oil, sprinkled with paprika powder and decorated with parsley leaves
- store in the fridge until use
Tabbouleh
Ingredients
yield 1 big bowl
| imperial | metric | |
| 1/2 cup | 100g | bulgur (fine) |
| 3/4 cup | 175g | warm water |
| 6 tsp | lemon juice | |
| pinch | salt | |
| 8oz | 200g | parsley leaves, chopped |
| 1/2 | cucumber, peeled, deseeded,chopped | |
| 2 | tomatoes, deseeded, chopped | |
| 1/2 bundle | scallions, sliced | |
| 1 bunch (4oz/100g) | fresh mint | |
| 4 tsp | olive oil | |
| 1/4 tsp | salt | |
Instruction
- mix bulgur and water in a big bowl, and let it soak for about 20min
- add all the other ingredients and mix well
- store in the fridge until use
Serve everything together with a nice fresh flatbread
