THE DRUNK REPORT

According to the NY Times, the conflict between Israel and Palestine is written in the humble history of the falafel.  Thus, I felt it only fitting to give a falafel recipe considering the topic of Jack Manhattan’s daily feature.

Fiasco Falafel

- by Cat Martini

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas – drained
• 1 medium yellow onion – chunked
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
• oil for frying (recommended:  vegetable oil)

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by pulsing the onion chunks and garlic cloves until it resembles a rough chop.  Next, add the parsley and drained chickpeas.  Pulse until ingredients are combined.  Then, add the cumin, coriander, lemon juice, baking soda, salt and black pepper.  Pulse ingredients until a coarse, thick paste is formed.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Preheat oil in a heavy bottomed pan (such as a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven) to 375°F.

While oil is heating, moisten hands with water and form chickpea mixture into golf-ball sized balls.  Deep-fry until brown and uniformly colored when falafel is cut in half (approx. 6-8 min).  Take care not to over-fill the pan (only 5-7 falafel at a time depending on size of pan).

Drain and serve with your favorite Middle Eastern accompaniment!  Or, locate a Middle Eastern store in your neighborhood and purchase Arak, a strong, alcoholic beverage known as “the milk of the lions” in the Middle East.

Enjoy!