Freekeh Falafel

Ingredients

⅓ cup (55 g) uncooked freekeh

½ cup (160 ml) water

Kosher salt

One 15-ounce (420 g) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained well, and roughly chopped

1 cup (30 g) roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 cup (30 g) roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup (150 g) finely chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 small fresh hot chile, such as serrano or jalapeño, deribbed and finely chopped

½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour or chickpea flour

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Freshly ground black pepper

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Vegetable or olive oil, for deep-frying

FOR SERVING

Whole Wheat Pitas (page 245)

Chopped cucumber

Chopped tomato

Spicy Creamy Green Sauce (page 314)

Directions

Put the freekeh in a small saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer until the freekeh is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. If the freekeh is tender but there's liquid left, drain it off; if the water has been absorbed but the freekeh isn't tender, add a bit more water and keep cooking until tender. Cool completely.

Put the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Put the freekeh, parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, chile, whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon salt, the cumin, baking powder, cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper into the processor and pulse, scraping down the sides until you get a nice uniform consistency that is about the texture of chopped nuts. Do not go all the way to a puree.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the lemon zest and juice, taste, and add more salt, black pepper, cumin, or cardamom if you like. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Pour 3 inches (7.5 cm) of oil into a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot; make sure the pot is tall enough that there's room for the falafels and for oil to bubble up without spilling over. Heat over medium- high heat to 330°F (165°C) on a deep-frying thermometer.

While the oil is heating, shape the falafels using a small ice-cream scoop or two tablespoons. Aim for round, but with a few rough edges, to get nice and crispy. Line a tray with paper towels.

Working in batches, carefully slide a few falafels into the oil. Don't overload the pot or the oil temperature will cool too much and the falafels will end up being greasy. Cook until they are richly browned and crisp, flipping them over from time to time, about 5 minutes. Lift them out of the oil with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Serve the falafels in pitas with cucumbers, tomatoes, and green sauce.

Notes

Note: You'll be chopping the ingredients in a food processor, but in order to control the texture-you don't want things to get too mushy-you need to roughly chop the chickpeas, herbs, and vegetables first, so that you're not forced to overprocess the whole shebang in order to get just one ingredient, such as your onion, small enough.

Freekeh originated in the Middle East, as did falafel, so l thought why not marry the two for a falafel with some added texture and slightly smoky flavor? I like to serve these stuffed in a pita as a sandwich, but also on top of a big salad full of chopped cucumbers, tomato, celery, and crisp lettuce, or maybe in a grain bowl, dressed with some Spicy Creamy Green Sauce. —Makes about 2 dozen 2-inch (5 cm) falafels, serves 4 to 6