28 February 2007

Mediterranean Brunch

I made this 3 months ago, took pics, uploaded them and forgot all about it!!! well, now is the time for updates.

When the bun was still in the oven, I had this craving for Mediterranean. My menu was simple, falafel-wraps, with lots of dips.

All I had to do was whip up lots of tahini, make some hummus, lebneh and baba-ganoush, fry up some falafels, slice some tomatoes and onions, and serve it all with some pita bread. Yes, it is as simple as it sounds.

Now that I'm finally writing it up, I want some! But most of the stuff in it isn't recommended for a post natal diet... ah well... later maybe....


Tahini

1/2 cup white sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tepid water

Blend everything to a fine paste in a blender and use as called for in recipe.

clockwise from top:
falafel, lebneh, hummus and baba ganoush
Lebneh

Baba Ganoush

1 large eggplant
3 tbsp tahini
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
salt to taste

Grill eggplant over gas flame (or broiler) till blackened all over. Peel away skin.
Blend with tahini and garlic to a smooth puree.
Adjust salt to season.
Serve with wedges of pita bread.

Hummus

2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin powder
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Blend all ingredients (except) to a smooth puree.
Add salt to taste.
Garnish with chopped cilantro

Falafel

3 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Blend chickpeas, flour, cumin, garlic cloves and salt in processor until almost smooth.
Shape mixture into 1/4-inch-thick patties.
Heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add patties and cook until crisp and golden.
Drain over paper towels.

pita pockets stuffed with galafel, lebneh, tomato and onion slices

Open pita breads, slide in falafel patties, sliced tomato and onion into each.
Spoon in some lebneh.

5 comments:

FH said...

Oh my!! So many posts in one go!! I made Tahini and Falafel too few week's ago!:) Looks great and soups are gorgeous!
I made Mediterranean Savory cake too!
Your dishes are yummy,worth the wait, eh?!

Anonymous said...

Hi Vidya,
Welcome back and what a way to get back blogging! Falafel look perfect. I was looking for a good recipe for babganush. Thanks! Soups look awesome. What a presentation. love the two in one soup. How's Avani treating you? keeping you up all night?

jacob said...

what a spread. sounds deceptively simple.

Vidya said...

Asha: thanks for dropping by... its been a long hiatus. am sure you know what it's like with 2 kids around!

Hema: thanks... glad you liked the stuff. my daughters are quite co-operative. they decided that i can't cope with both of them together. so only one sleeps at any given time.. sleep?? what's that? :D

Jacob: hmm.. weird calling you that :) it's as simple as it sounds.. just takes 2 hours :) trust me

liberal foodie said...

I didn't realize Labneh was so very easy to make. thanks for the recipe!