Jerusalem

My sister-in-law/friend/camping wonder posted this picture from her travels in Galilee.

If that doesn't make you want falafel than you have no heart. 

Falafel reminds me of Jerusalem and the amazing place it is. It is a sacred place for three major religions. It is a place of historical/modern day violence and unrest. It is where Jesus walked and died. It is fought over, plotted against, and juggled about. 

It makes sense then that their food is colorful, flavorful, and influenced by the countries around them. 

Falafel: According to Silk Road Cooking, Falafel with fava beans in an Egyptian national dish while Iran and Syria use chickpeas. While some claim falafel as an Isreali national food, others say it is completely Arabic.("Of course it’s Arabic. Humous is Arabic. Falafel, our national dish, our national Israeli dish, is completely Arabic and this salad that we call an Israeli Salad, actually it’s an Arab salad, Palestinian salad. So, we sort of robbed them of everything." Gil Hovav, Israeli food writer). The dispute over this food stand staple seems to mirror just about every other claim in the region. Makes me want to watch Cooking in the Danger Zone

I used this recipe from Mark Bittman. It is much better than a lot of others Ive tried. It calls for the chickpeas to be soaked for 24 hours and then blended raw with the parsley, garlic, onion, spices, and lemon juice.  My love for falafel compelled me to deep fry something for the first time in my life. I felt bad at first and then I ate them...They are wonderful.  I save my oil in a jar and I would say that for every 30 falafel I loose about 1/4c of oil. That is not too bad! The trick is making sure the oil is really hot so they cook in only a couple minutes. THROW SOME CHICKPEAS IN WATER RIGHT NOW AND THINK ABOUT THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT. you will thank me tomorrow. 

Bonus recipe: the very energy efficient Tabbouleh (origin also disputed)

1. Soak 3/4 cup bulgar in hot water for 20-30 min. 

2. cut up 2 c parsley, 1 c fresh mint, a couple scallions/green onions, a tomato, and a cucumber

3. combine drained bulgar with 1/3 olive oil, 1/4 squezed lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the rest. Adjust for taste. enjoy