Having a ball with falafels

SALLY BUTCHER

LONDON: There are only so many chickpeas a self-respecting vegetarian can eat before he is officially branded a hippy and bought some green jeans and sandals.

They are nutritious and cheap, but it’s good to ring the changes. Which is what we’re doing with these falafels. There isn’t a pulse in sight (unless you count the chickpea flour).

The origin of the word “falafel” is thought to go back to ancient Persian and Sanskrit words for small ball-shaped peppers: thus the word really means “little balls”. So we can make them out of pretty much anything and still call them falafels.

Preheat the oven to 190° C. Arrange the potatoes, onion and garlic on an oven tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the potato is cooked. Allow to cool just a little, then blend with the remaining ingredients, but if you are using a blender, be careful not to over-process it.

Using wet hands, roll the mixture into little balls and place on a greased oven tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pleasingly browned.

Serve in the usual way in pita pockets with hummus, salad and pickles.

Serving idea: if you make small, flat sweet potato falafel, you can use them as canapés by sandwiching them between thick rounds of gherkin.

You can also roll them in more chickpea flour, then deep-fry them for about 3 minutes each.

Persepolis: Vegetarian Recipes from Peckham, Persia and Beyond by Sally Butcher. Published by Pavilion Books. – The Independent

Sweet potato and spinach falafels.