Baked Falafel

I have been avoiding making these for years.  It didn't make sense to me to make falafel in the oven when you get a deeper flavor and crispy crust on the stove.  Finally, I was roasting an eggplant on a hot afternoon and figured I would slide these on the other rack.

This version deviates from the standard raw chickpea version.  I'm par-cooking them because I wasn't convinced a half hour in the oven would take care of things.  It isn't long enough to make them mushy, and you still get a good texture in the patties.  I actually added a touch of lemon juice to smooth things out a bit.

*2/3 C dry chickpeas
*1/4 C fresh parsley
*1/4 C fresh cilantro
1/2 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
*2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp each paprika, cumin, ground coriander, and salt
1/4 tsp pepper
*1 tsp lemon juice
olive oil for greasing

1.  Soak chickpeas in 3 C of water for 8-12 hours.  Drain, fill saucepan with fresh water, and simmer for one hour.  They should still be somewhat firm.  Drain well.

2.  Place chickpeas, onion, herbs, garlic, and spices in the food processor.  Pulse first to break up the larger pieces, then run into a chunky paste.  If you can't get a small handful to stick together, add lemon juice and pulse to distribute.

3.  Preheat oven to 375º and grease a rimmed baking sheet with oil.  Don't leave any naked patches.  I thought this was all going to fit in a 9x13, and wasn't going to get another pan dirty when I was wrong.  Did it in two batches instead.  On the other hand, if you want to make this into a falafel crust, it will line the 9x13.

4.  Scoop generous tablespoons of paste and form into patties.  Gently place on greased baking sheet.  Bake 30 minutes, until tops are starting to look browned and dry.  Carefully turn over and bake another 10 minutes.  Can be served hot or room temperature.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)