Falafel and Pickled Onions from Balaboosta Cookbook

Balaboosta, "Bold mediterranean recipes to feed the people you love". For those of you who don't know Einat Admony, she is the chef and owner of  "Taim Falafel & Smoothie Bar (she has two locations) and the restaurant Balaboosta." All three located downtown Manhattan. 

When I found out Einat Admony had written a cookbook, I became interested right away. Not only do I love her restaurants but also, being Middle Eastern myself, some recipes hit close to home. Her book is filled with easy-to-follow recipes, hearty dishes that brings people together. Also, plenty of kids friendly recipes, grilling, quick meals, comfort food and much more. 

I picked two recipes I know and love to share with you, pickled red onions and falafel (with a twist). Both recipes were really good, the falafel mixture had Kalamata olives and no parsley or cilantro as accustomed, although she does offer it as an alternative. It was a very interesting twist to a classic falafel. The pickled onions were spot on, the only discrepancy was in the quantities, the recipe calls for 8 medium onions and I had enough with 4 for 1 quart. This did not affect the taste. Overall, a really good cookbook to have on hand if you want to experiment with Middle Eastern cuisine. 

You can buy Balaboosta HERE

Ingredients:

For the falafel

2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight

Canola oil for deep frying

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Drain the chickpeas into colander. Heat a medium pot filled with enough oil for deep frying. Combine 

the onion and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground. Crush the coriander seeds with the back of a metal spoon. Add them and the chickpeas to the food processor and pulse just until the chickpeas are broken into smaller chunks.

Add the olive oil, salt, cumin and pepper. Process until the mixture in finely chopped but not pureed, scraping down the sides of the container as needed. You're looking for the mixture to resemble coarse meal and not hummus! If the mixture is a little too wet, simply drain off any excess liquid after you pulse it in the food processor. Shape the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and set aside.

When the oil in the pot reaches 375˚F, cook 3 or 4 falafel balls at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Make sure to work in small batches to keep your oil nice and hot, which keeps your falafel tender and crispy.

For the pickled onions:

Makes about 1 quart

8 medium red onions, thinly sliced

(I used 4 and it was enough for 1 quart)

1 small red beet, sliced into paper-thin rounds

1 bay leaf

1 small star anise 

1 small cinnamon stick

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup sugar

Place the onions, beet, bay leaf, star anise, and cinnamon stick in a 1-quart glass jar. Whisk together the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and pour it over the red onions. Allow to ferment for at least 1 week in the refrigerator. 

For the rest of the recipes on the first photo:

Pita

Matbucha

Hummus

Tabouli salad

Tahini sauce

Panela Poached Figs

Yes, another fig recipe. I have to. I have so many of them, I'm turning purple. My favorite part about having so many figs (besides eating them) is that I get to can them and enjoy them in the middle of winter, when I crave them. Canning is so much fun, it's like trapping a season in a jar. While tomatoes don't taste like tomatoes in Winter, you have the real deal sitting on your pantry. I always can figs two ways; I make jam which is great because I can use it in so many ways, not just with bread in the morning. Also, I slowly poach figs in panela and cinnamon for two hours until tender but still keeping them whole.

Poached figs in panela is such a great dessert option. Slightly warm them and they  pair fantastically with ice cream. Also works great with cakes, tarts, panna cotta, the list is endless. Yes, it takes two hours to cook but there isn't much to do while they are poaching, just check them once in a while to make sure they have enough liquid. Also, lets talk about how wonderful your whole house will smell, you will want to poach another batch just to keep the smell going. If you cooked fish that day, that would be the day to poach figs :) 

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds figs

2 cinnamon sticks

5 cups water

1 lb panela

Jars, I used Ball Jars, 

you can find them HERE

In a pot, place the water, cinnamon sticks and panela. Boil until the panela has dissolved (it shouldn't take long). Continue to boil for ten minutes then add the figs, lower the heat to medium and cook (uncover) for 2 hours. Check occasionally to make sure they have enough liquid. It will thicken when cool so be careful. Ladle hot figs and poaching liquid into sterilized jars and wipe clean the rim of the jars. Close the jars with sterilized lids. Place the the jars into a pot with boiling water (I use a steamer pot)  and boil for 10 minutes.

Click HERE to find a jam recipe.

Homemade Granola with Fig Sauce + A Video

This is one of those recipes I don't understand why it takes me so long to post. This granola recipe is what I've been using ever since I started to eat granola (that's years ago). I love to make my own granola because I have a better control of what goes in it. So far, all of the commercially sold granolas have that one ingredient I don't like or is missing something. Not only that but it's way cheaper. 

This granola recipe never changes around here, what changes are the toppings. We always eat it with yogurt and whatever fruit is in season. Right now our fig tree is at its peek so I made a fig sauce. I just love all these flavors and textures in what feels like dessert for breakfast without the guilt factor. 

Oh yeah, I also made a video :) 

Ingredients:

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 pistachios

1/2 cup almonds 
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

⅓ cup honey

⅓ cup canola oil

1 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 300 ˚F.

In a bowl, combine the honey, oil, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, seeds and nuts. Pour the liquids on to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Spread the mixture in two-half baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, mix in the shredded coconut (half cup on each baking sheet). Let cool completely then mix in the dried fruit.

For the fig sauce:

8oz fresh figs, halved 

1/8 cup of water

3 tbsp honey or maple syrup 

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes or until the figs are soft, stir occasionally. Use a potato masher to break them down. Let it cool before serving.