Falafel

The night before: Place chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per pound of chickpeas. Let the chickpeas soak overnight.

An hour or so before you’d like to eat falafel: Drain the chickpeas well. In the bowl of a food processor, place the onion, garlic, and herbs and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the drained chickpeas, salt, and spices and process until blended to a fine chop but not pureed. The texture should be like cooked couscous.

Transfer chickpea mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic, and place in refrigerator for a few hours, if you have it, but even 30 minutes is helpful.

To shape the falafel: Form the chickpea mixture into walnut-sized balls. Use a falafel scoop, tablespoon measuring spoon, or cookie scoop. Press it into the scoop tightly to compress the ingredients, then gently roll it in the palm of your hands to form a ball.

To cook the falafel: Heat 3/4 to 1-inch of oil in a frying pan to 375°F. Fry about 6 falafel fritters at a time, turning them over once they’re a nice toasty brown. This takes about 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.

To serve: Split open a pita and start with a little tahini sauce and a spoonful of salad at the bottom before adding 3 to 4 falafel fritters. Finish with more tomato-cucumber salad, tahini sauce, a hot sauce, and pickles.