Falafel

Clearly this isn't a traditional Spanish tapas idea but they do make an excellent snack and fit well into the tapas theme. We make and eat these regularly, either by themselves or with a selection of dips.

In particular, these make a great snack for long car journeys, easy to eat (without the dips, of course) and filling enough to keep us going.

To make 12 falafel:

	kcal
200g (8oz) dried chickpeas, well soaked	728
1 red onion, roughly chopped	46
3 cloves garlic, crushed	13
1 slice white bread, cubed	67
120ml (1/2 cup) fresh parsley leaves	11
120ml (1/2 cup) fresh coriander, no tough stalks	2
5ml (1tsp) ground cumin	8
15ml (1tbsp) vegetable oil, for frying	120
salt and pepper to taste	5
Total	1000

Around 85 kcal each

Make sure that the chickpeas have soaked for at least 12 hours and then rinse well and drain.

Put the chickpeas and all the other ingredients except the oil in a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. This always takes longer than I expect, but I am an impatient cook.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, enough for shallow frying.

Make small balls of the paste, a bit smaller than a golf ball, an then flatten them between the palms of your hands.

Fry a few of the patties at a time, browning then evenly on one side and then flipping them over to brown the other side. Put onto kitchen towel to drain any excess oil.

Falafel can be eaten hot or cold. They are often wrapped in pitta bread to make a sandwich with hummus or pickle.

Tried falafel? Try other vegetarian tapas recipes.

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