Amy Pennington’s Pea Falafel

from Apartment Gardening © Amy Pennington

Serves 4

1 ¼ cup chickpeas

1 ¼ cup peas, shelled

½ large onion, chopped

¼ cup chickpea flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 cup fresh herbs, such as lemon balm, mint, anise hyssop, lovage, tarragon, parsley, cilantro

½ lemon, zested and juiced

Olive oil for frying 

The night before, soak the chickpeas on the counter in a bowl of cool water. Drain well in the morning and pat dry if still wet.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Set up a water bath, filling a large bowl with cold water and ice. Set aside. Drop the shelled peas into the boiling water and cook until bright green and floating, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and immediately drop them into the ice-water bath, halting the cooking process. Give them a stir to make sure they are cool, then drain and set aside.

 Place the chickpeas and peas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add all other ingredients. Blend until broken down and well combined. The batter will be almost pastelike and should hold together. If it’s too wet, add another spoonful of chickpea flour. Scrape it out of the processor bowl into another bowl and let stand for 30 minutes.

 In a large sauté pan, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and come up the sides a bit. Heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, drop in small spoonfuls of the falafel batter and fry. The batter is quite soft, so do not move the cooking falafels around. Let one side get nice and golden brown before flipping them over. Continue frying on all sides until golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper bag. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately.