falafel

via Joy of Cooking

Falafel is the original "veggie burger."

Serves 4

Rinse and soak 1 1/4 cups dried chick peas
Drain thoroughly. Place in a food processor and finely chop. Add:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed, or 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Remove to a bowl and stir in:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

With wet hands, form the chickpea mixture into 4 patties, each about 3 inches in diameter. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Pour into a deep skillet:
1/2 inch vegetable oil
Fry the chickpea patties until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Stir together:
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt

Wrap in aluminum foil:
4 pita breads
Heat oven until warmed, about 10 minutes. Open one edge of each pita bread and distribute among the pockets:
2 cups thinly sliced crisp lettuce (romaine or iceberg). washed and dried
4 thin tomato slices

Add falafel to each pita and drizzle the tahini sauce over the falafel. Add hot red pepper sauce or sriracha to taste.