I’ve been enjoying some delicious falafel lately. One that stands out is the falafel plate from North Berkeley restaurant Fava, which has a razor sharp focus on healthy, vegetable-forward lunches that doesn’t compromise flavor.
The falafel at Fava themselves are browned and incredibly crunchy — and though not perfectly round, they are perfect to me. The outer layer is deeply nutty, while the inside is superbly green, moist and airy. When paired with the full-fat yogurt sauce, pickled vegetables, tabbouleh, herbs and sauces, it becomes a meal that just hits all the marks.
Another falafel that I really enjoyed recently was at Shuka, another vegetable-forward restaurant, in New York City. I tried the mezze platter: creamy, suave hummus; pickled fennel; carrots and cauliflower; warm pita and marinated olives were all there and spectacular. But because I'm a freak for falafel now, I zeroed in on the four patties laying like dominoes on the platter. Ayesha Nurdjaja, chef and partner, is a self-described “textural eater,” and it showed — they were crispy on the outside, but super soft on the inside and very, very green.
To get that texture, Nurdjaja does not use canned chickpeas, which release a lot of their starch and clinging power in the cooking process. Instead, she soaks raw chickpeas overnight so they are just hydrated enough for these small bites. On top of that, they are fried, of course.
A meal of mostly vegetables might make some think that a falafel plate is easy to make at home, but is it?
At first glance, it doesn’t feel super practical, especially when you can go to a restaurant like one of the above. (Or if you’re someone like me who doesn’t really plan more than a few hours before dinnertime.) But the joy of food is that you can play around with the flavors and textures of something you love and see if you can make it work for you. This week’s recipe is exactly that.
I’ve taken the flavors and some of the textures of falafel and turned them into what reminds me most of a chickpea-based frittata or savory cake. It’s baked, not fried, and sliceable, so you can enjoy it all week long. I add green garlic here, too, which is essentially, new, young, tender and less intense garlic that pops up at markets in the spring.
One caveat is that there is no obsession-worthy crunchy exterior here — you’ll have to leave that to the professionals. But there is a super delightful crisp top, thanks to the broiler. The inside is herbaceous, moist and a bit airy, and the recipe is simple to make in the comfort of your home, without having to travel anywhere.
Reach Christian Reynoso: food@sfchronicle.com
Green Garlic Falafel Cake with Tahini Salad
Makes one 10-inch skillet cake
Inspired by the little fried savory patties, this large-format skillet falafel has all the traditional flavor with the ease of baking versus frying, and it’s appropriate for any meal. For a crisp texture, the top is brushed with olive oil and broiled. All this needs is a little sauce like a tahini yogurt and some crisp fresh lettuces dressed simply with lemon and olive.
2 (14½ ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon red chile flakes
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 cup parsley leaves and tender stems
1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 cup mint leaves, dill or a combination of both
½ medium white or yellow onion
¼ cup finely chopped green garlic
1 lemon
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more
¼ cup whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
Dressed lettuces and pickled onions, for serving
Adjust an oven rack to a middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Place the chickpeas on a sheet pan and set in the oven to dry out while you prepare the falafel mixture.
In a small bowl, add the flour, cumin, coriander, baking powder, chile flakes, black pepper and salt. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
Roughly chop the parsley, cilantro and mint (or dill), and add to the well of a food processor. Roughly chop the onion and add to the processor along with the green garlic. Finely grate the lemon zest into the processor. Take the chickpeas out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Add the egg to the processor and process until combined, then add the cooled chickpeas along with the flour mixture and process, scraping down as needed until you have a coarse but relatively even mixture with the herbs thoroughly dispersed. The mixture should hold together.
Brush 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on the bottom and the inner sides of a 10-inch skillet, like a cast-iron pan or even a nonstick pan. Transfer the falafel mixture to the skillet and smooth out the top. Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the top and bake in the oven until cooked through, but still moist, about 20 minutes. Take the skillet out of the oven and adjust the rack to be closest to the broiler. Turn on the broiler, place the skillet back under the broiler, and broil until golden brown and crisp on top. Take the skillet out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Right before serving, whisk the yogurt and tahini together in a small serving bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze about 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in, season with salt, and whisk again. Slice the falafel and serve on plates with the tahini yogurt, dressed lettuces and pickled onions.
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