Falafel with tomato herb salad and pickled vegetables

Ingredients for 2 (with falafel to spare)

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

If you need an incentive to eat a bit more beans and less meat this year, look no further. With an abundance of fragrant herbs, warm spicing and alliums in abundance (onions and garlic), I think, much of the most exciting vegetarian food is middle eastern inspired. In this dish – falafel with herb salad, houmous and pickled salad – the different elements from each of the component parts has its own importance. The result a selection of components that work in harmony to create a wonderful meal that sparks all the five flavour profiles – sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami.

Although there are a few more elements to this recipe, they are well worth taking the time over and since we are going through the hassle of blending and cooking falafel from scratch, I highly recommend making a double batch. They are great for lunches, sandwiches and are also freezable.

Falafel

50ml + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
a small handful fresh parsley
a small handful fresh coriander
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Pickled turnip and beetroot

350ml Sarson’s ‘Pickle in 15 Minutes’ Mediterranean Vinegar Blend
250g turnips or radishes, peeled and sliced wafer thin
1 small beetroot, peeled and sliced wafer thin
1 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Tomato and herb salad

a large handful of parsley
a large handful of coriander
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced in to 1 cm cubes with seeds discarded
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbs olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice
a pinch of sea salt

Additional

houmous, optional to serve
sour cream, to serve
sumac, optional to serve

Note: The pickle for this recipe is a light one and needs only 15mins, however it’s also nice to make a jar full of pickled onions using the leftover liquid from the Pickle in 15 Minutes bottle. If you add another shaved beetroot and a couple of white onions to a mason jar and pour it over, the liquid turns everything pink.

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Falafel with tomato herb salad and pickled vegetables

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a large container or bowl, add your shaved turnips and beetroot, then pour over the Sarson’s ‘Pickle in 15 Minutes’ Mediterranean Vinegar Blend. Add the garlic. Let sit for 15 minutes minimum.

Drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor with the onion, coriander, ginger, parsley, grated garlic, salt, cumin, ground coriander, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend until smooth, about 1-1 1/2 minutes.

Step 2

Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick.

Add the remaining 50ml of olive oil to a large, lined baking tray and run the oil around, until evenly coated.

Place each falafel on your oiled pan. Cover two sides of the pan with a little oil but turning them over in the tray.

Add the falafels to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.

Step 3

Dice the tomatoes, slice the spring onions, parsley and coriander for the salad/ Add to a bowl and briefly mix. Dress with a little olive oil and lemon juice, season with a pinch of salt and a grinding of black pepper and mix again.

Plate up the salad, top with a couple of falafels and a dollop of sour cream with a pinch of sumac.

Serve with houmous and the pickled veg.

You can purchase Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes Lightly Seasoned vinegar blend at Morrisons and Tesco Extra stores nationwide, and from 3rd February, it will be available to purchase from Sainsbury’s. You can buy Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes Mediterranean vinegar blend from Morrisons stores.