Falafels for Dinner

I just finished a long week of work and I was looking forward to making dinner and relaxing the rest of the night from being exhausted from waking up at 6 am. While I was walking home I passed a Mediterranean style restaurant called Pita, and all of a sudden I had a craving for Falafels, and since I haven't done any pan frying since I've been home from school, I thought I would make some at home to have with a big salad. 

Falafels 

1 15-ounce can chickpeas 

1 large garlic clove 

2 scallions 

1/4 cup parsley 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1/2 lemon, juiced 

1 egg 

1/3 cup flour, plus extra for dredging 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

canola oil 

In a food processor blend together the chickpeas, garlic, scallions, parsley, cumin, coriander, cayenne, lemon juice and egg. Once combined, add the flour and baking powder and pulse a few times. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat a pan filled 1/2 inch up the edge with canola oil. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the chickpea mixture into a shallow dish filled with flour and coat the outside with flour and form into small patties. Place the dredged patties into the oil and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. These can be served over a salad or in a pita filled with lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce.  

I don't often experiment with dishes from different cultures that I'm not super familiar with, but this summer and blog is all about getting outside my comfort zone and trying new things. With this in mind I can already think of more dishes I want to start planning and trying out to broaden my comfort zone. So till next time, 

Keep Cooking Brooklyn!