Yotam Ottolenghi's Falafels ( & Salad)

One of my favourite  food TV shows on recently was Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feast. If you don't know who Yotam Ottolenghi is, he is basically the guru of all things salads/baking/middle eastern/Israeli/vegetarian, born in Israel but based in London. I love his take on simple, authentic flavours, and his food always looks amazing too. Going to an Ottolenghi restaurant in London is on my bucket list, and I have had a couple of his books for a while now. Anyway, you should check him out here, or read his column for the Guardian.

Lester and I love falafels, and have them at least once a fortnight - from the tubs of mixture in the supermarket - so it wasn't hard to pick Yotam's Falafels as the first recipe I made from my new cookbook Jerusalem.

Ottolenghi's Falafels

serves 4, adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Maimi

Note: The flavours here are quite traditional, but subtle - the taste of the chickpeas shines through - but if you like a stronger spicey flavour, I would double the cayenne, cumin, coriander and  cardamom amounts below, or have a play around to your taste.

250g dried chickpeas

1/2 medium onion

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp coriander

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tbsp plain flour

about 750ml sunflower oil/rice bran oil for deep-frying

1/2 tsp sesame seeds for coating

salt

1. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water at least twice their volume. Set aside to soak overnight.

2. The next day drain the chickpeas. Chuck in a food processor with the onion, garlic,  lemon, parsley and coriander. Blitz on the finest setting in a food processor until finely chopped, but not mushy or pasty

3. Once processed add the spices, baking powder, 3/4 tsp of salt, flour and 1 tbsp of water, mix well by hand. Cover the mixture and leave in the fridge for an hour or until ready to use.

4. Fill a deep pan with enough oil to cover the falafel and heat to 180 degrees (use a thermometer, or test on a piece of bread).

5. With wet hands, press 1-2 tbsp of mixture into the palm of your hand and make a small ball, pressing together well to prevent them breaking apart. Roll lightly in sesame seeds and deep fry them in batches for 4 minutes or until well browned (Yotam note's it is important they are in the oil long enough to cook the chickpeas and dry out the centre).

6. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Serve in a Pita with salad and hummus, or as part of the salad below.

I cooked half the mixture, and froze the rest for another day.

Mediterranean Falafel Salad

Serves 2

Kalamata Olives

Feta cheese

Strips of roasted red pepper

Roasted almonds (toast in a pan on medium heat with a little coconut oil)

1 Pita bread, toasted, torn into pieces and drizzled with Olive oil

1/4 Cucumber, cut into chunks

Baby spinach

Flat leaf parsley

Dressing:

4 heaped tablespoons greek yoghurt

small handful chopped mint

1 tsp Tahini paste

1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses

Juice of half a lemon

Water, if needed to thin down

Salt & Pepper

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Arrange all salad ingredients on plates or a platter, top with freshly cooked Falafels (approx. 5 per person), drizzle with Yoghurt dressing and chilli sauce and serve.

Antique Caramel Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Wow. This cake. It has to be one of the most popular things I have ever baked. And with good reason too, after all - who doesn't like Caramel? - especially proper, salty caramel, swirled onto tangy Caramel Cream cheese frosting enveloping a soft, tender Caramel cake. It's bliss...

 I made this cake on Monday for my sweet sweet workmate Paula's birthday - she is a sweet and classy lady and she deserved a sweet and classy cake. Then, as I had the Caramel Sauce left over, and I NEEDED more of this cake, I made it again Saturday for my lovely Sister-in-law Tracey's baby shower. It keeps really well, though it tasted pretty amazing straight from the oven too (you have to trim it flat....and someone had to eat the trimmings!). The icing is AMAZING...sweet but not achingly so, and silky smooth.

If you didn't want to make your own Salted Caramel sauce for the top and filling, you could get a good quality bought one instead.

There are quite a few steps, but don't hesitate to make this for your next special occasion - it really is a winning cake!

Antique Caramel Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Adapted from Laura's Sweet Spot

Ingredients

For the Caramel Cake:

• 160g unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
• 1 cup Caster sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp Heilala Vanilla Paste
• 2 cups plain flour, sifted
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

For the Caramel Frosting:

• 60g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ⅓ cup cream
• 70g unsalted butter, softened
• 220g cream cheese (from the fridge)
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons liquid Glucose
• 1/4 cup water
• ½ cup cream
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or whatever flash/flaked salt you have)
• ¼ cup sour cream

Instructions
For the  Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Line the bases of two 20cm non-stick cake tins, spray well with oil.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes or more. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl again and add the salt, and flour in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour (do this on the lowest speed).
4. In a small bowl or cup, dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar and beat it into the batter until just combined.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. 
6. Bake for 32 to 37 minutes, rotating the pans (very carefully, any knocks will cause the cakes to deflate a bit) halfway through the baking time, until the cake tops are slightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the racks and let cool completely.

For the Frosting:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the brown sugar and butter (60g) until melted and combined. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 30 seconds, or until dark golden and frothy. Remove from the heat, whisk in the cream, and transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool completely. 
2. Once the brown sugar mixture is nearly cool, place the remaining 70g of butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until it is lump free. Add the cream cheese in small amounts, bit by bit, and continue beating until mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again for until light and creamy. Turn the mixer to low and stream in the brown sugar mixture. Scrape down the bowl again, add the icing sugar, and beat until smooth. If the mixture feels too loose, refrigerate it for 5 to 10 minutes until it firms up.

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and liquid glucose with ¼ cup water, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan. 
2. Cook over high heat until a sugar/candy thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is dark amber in color (keep a close eye on the caramel at all times, as it goes from golden brown to black and burnt very quickly), 6-8 minutes. 
3. Remove from the heat, and slowly add the cream (careful, it will bubble up) and then the fleur de sel. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.

Assemble the Cake: 
Place one cake layer on a serving platter, normal way up. Trim the top with a bread knife to create a flat surface, and drizzle generously with the salted caramel sauce, spreading with the back of a spoon to allow the cake to absorb it. Evenly spread about ¾ cup frosting on top. Trim the second cake the same way, and repeat the caramel layer on the cut surface. Turn the second cake upside down and place, caramel side down, onto the first cake and frosting. This leaves the flat base of the base as a nice smooth surface for the icing. Ice the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting, swirl with the caramel sauce and refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set before serving.
The cake can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with a cake dome or in a cake server for up to 3 days. Allow it to come to almost room temperature before serving.

Dark Brown vs Light Brown sugar

Brown sugar mixture for the frosting

Add the brown sugar mixture into the frosting

Ready to be iced