Let's talk Falafel

Peace, Shalom, Salaam my friends,

    So, I decided that I want to make some Falafel; and that got me thinking. Falafel is the quintessential Levantine comfort food, and is loved  and bickered over ,by all in the region. The Lebanese, Israelis,Palestinians, Syrians and the Egyptians all claim its origin. The best bet is that Falafel originated in Egypt. There are even phaeronic tomb scenes that appear to depict its preparation. The remains of chick peas and favas have been found among the contents of royal Egyptian tombs. There are those who say that the recipe for Falafel can be found in the Hebrew Bible. Certainly all the ingredients for the dish are mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures.It would make sense that if it originated in Egypt, then it would have become known to all the inhabitants of the ancient Levant, including all the various Canonites.
            The Moors would have surely brought the dish to Iberia, and there are some rather similar dishes prepared in Sicily with rissoto( the Moors held Sicily under its rule, for a time, and many sicillian dishes show their influence). The Greeks of course have known falafel for centuries. Romanians, Albanians, and Armenians all have versions of Falafel, so it's safe to say that Falafel qualifies as comfort food of the Eastern European Mediterranean coast. All and all it's a very popular and well loved dish.
                 This is my favorite version, it's a Lebanese/Yeminite hybrid which is quite popular in Israel.
In Egypt and Morocco, Syria, and Lebanon both Favas and chick peas are used in the fitters, but because of a high incidence of Favism( A severe allergy to fava beans) among the Arab Jews that settled in Israel, the Israeli versions do not include Favas. This recipe uses pita style bread as a binder and I find that it creates the loveliest texture  for Falafel: quite crisp and crunchy on the outside, and light and soft, with a crumb a little like bread on the inside.
                                                Falafel
                                      1/2 cup fine burghul
                                       1&1/2cups coarsely crumbled Pita or other Arab flat bread
                                        2 cups canned chick peas, rinsed
                                        1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
                                         2 t. finely chopped fresh garlic( about 1 clove)
                                         2 T. chopped cilantro
                                          1t. crushed red pepper
                                          1t. ground cumin
                                           1 t. salt
                                            Blk. ppr.
                                            Canola oil for frying
Soak the bread and the burghul wheat separately in cold water to cover. In about 30 minutes the wheat will have completly absorbed the water, but you will need to drain and squeeze the excess out of the bread. Mean while, place all the rest of the ingedients into a processor bowl with the chopping blade in place. Pulse till you have a puree. Add the burghul wheat to the processor and pulse till you have a homogenous, stiff dough. Add to the bowl with the soaked bread and blend thoroughly by hand. The dough should be very similar to cornbread dressing before it's cooked (stiff, but a very malleable texture). Cover with film and chill for about an hour in the fridge. Using you hands take walnut size peices of dough and roll into balls between your palms. Flatten slightly and set aside to dry a little as you pour and heat the oil. Pour about 1/2 inch of oil in to heavy skillet, and bring up to a temperature that will sizzle imediately when you drop in a cube of bread. Fry the fritters in single layers, turning once, after you see the edges and sides turn golden. It will take about 1& 1/2 minutes per-side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Continue in this way untill all the batter is cooked.

                               To serve you can wrap in flat bread with tahina, tomatoes, onion and hot sauce( Yeminite Hilbeh, or Harissa), yoghurt, and Israeli pickles. I like to make french fried potatoes and season them with a combination of Greek seasoning and Lebanese seasoning. You can find these seasonings, as well as, Harissa  in middleastern food stores.  I hope you give this version of Falafel a try and let me know what you think.