Oven-Baked Falafel Mezze Recipe

By Mimi

Life on the streets of Tel Aviv might seem far away but the flavours of the Middle East needn’t be. All you need is a can of chickpeas and a powerful blender.

You’ll blitz, blend then bake falafel balls before serving them with bulgur and a fresh mint, cucumber and feta salad. A perfect al fresco staycation-supper.

Take your friends on a flavourful escape by sharing these delicious falafels with them!

Ingredients

1 lemon

1 red onion

75g bulgur wheat

1 garlic clove

10g mint

10g parsley

1/2 cucumber

1 tsp ground cumin

80g natural yoghurt

1 can of chickpeas

2 wholemeal pittas

100g feta cheese

10g sesame seeds

15g tahini

Flour

Olive oil

Salt

Equipment needed

Baking paper

Food processor

Method

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7.

Peel and roughly chop 2/3 of the red onion[s], then slice the rest (as finely as you can!)

Peel and roughly chop the garlic

Drain and rinse the chickpeas

Roughly chop the parsley and cut the lemon[s] into 4 wedges

Step 2: Add the drained chickpeas to a food processor with the ground cumin, chopped red onion, chopped garlic and the juice of 2 lemon wedges

Add half the chopped parsley (save the rest for later!) with half the sesame seeds, 1 tsp flour and 1/2 tsp salt

Pulse until everything is blitzed but not smooth – this is your falafel mix

Step 3: Boil a kettle

Line a baking tray with baking paper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

Shape the falafel mix into 10 falafel balls.

Add the falafel balls to the baking tray and press them gently into the sesame seeds.

Drizzle generously with olive oil and put the tray in the oven for 20-25 min or until golden brown.

Step 4: While the falafel balls are in the oven, add the bulgur wheat to a pot with plenty of boiled water and a pinch of salt (the same as you would for pasta) and bring to the boil over a high heat.

Once boiling, cook for 10-15 min or until tender with a slight bite, then drain and return to the pot

Combine the tahini with the natural yoghurt and the juice of 1 lemon wedge – this is your tahini yoghurt

Top tip! Add everything to the yoghurt pot to save on washing up!

Step 5: Cut the wholemeal pitta into triangles

pitta triangles falafelpitta

Step 6: Meanwhile, chop the cucumber into quarters lengthways, then slice finely.

Strip the mint leaves from their stems and chop them finely, discard the stems.

Chop the feta into small bite-sized pieces .

Combine the chopped cucumber, sliced red onion, chopped feta and half the chopped mint with 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] olive oil in a large bowl – this is your cucumber salad.