falafel burgers with harissa yogurt

I think I stopped feeling like a tourist in NYC when our favorite falafel place when out of business. The loss of hot chickpeas will do that to you.

Karen found the shop when she started working in Midtown East. Then I started working at the same place. Not the falafel place (the would've been awesome)...the same company where Karen worked. My second day there, she insisted we get falafel for lunch. The size of these things was monstrous, like a burrito from Chipotle, shoved full of crispy hot chickpea patties and just enough harissa to make it impossible to stop eating. The place closed down a couple of months later, took a year off, and opened across the street. Then Crisp (so good) opened up a few doors down and the falafel place closed for good within days. It's the circle of life in the NYC cheap eats scene.

This recipe from Esquire reminds me of the mythological falafel of 3rd Avenue. It uses soaked, uncooked beans which helps it avoid the dreaded mushy center (what's the point? Just eat hummus if you want that). The outside gets ridiculously crispy, almost inappropriately so. And the harissa-spiked Greek yogurt burns while it soothes with lemon, orange, and lime zest. 

For our gluten-free friends, we subbed in soy flour in place of the wheat flour, just to make sure it worked. It worked quite well, and we've noted it in the recipe. Get yourself your favorite g-free bread, and you're set. 

Note - Start soaking the night before you want to serve this. If you forget (like we did), you can start soaking early in the morning for dinner. 

Another note - Dried fava beans aren't easy to find. I found a bag at the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle, but our local WF didn't have them. They provide a nice bright green flavor, but feel free to go all chickpeas. Plus, chickpeas are cheaper.

falafel burgers with harissa yogurt from Dominique Crenn
esquire, november 2009 
(If they had this posted online, we'd link you right to the recipe. But they don't. That's a shame.)

falafel 

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cup fava beans (or substitute chickpeas for a total of 1.5 cups)
• 1 minced onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 bunch chopped parsley
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1 t paprika
• 2 t chopped mint
• 2 t chopped basil
• 3 T flour (wheat, chickpea, or soy)
• 1 t Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

Beginning the night before, cover the beans in water. The beans will expand, so cover with an extra two inches of water. No need to refrigerate.

The next day, Drain the beans and throw them into a food processor. Chop finely. Add in the remaining ingredients (not the oil) and give it a spin.

Form the mixture into burger patties, or go with a smaller size to maximize the crisped edges (that's why you're eating these, right?).

Now, make the yogurt. 


harissa yogurt

• 1 cup Greek yogurt, plain
• 1.5 T Harissa (could be hard to find. You really need it, so you could always make your own).
• 1/2 t lime zest (we didn't have any limes, so we used more of the orange and lemon)
• 1/2 t orange zest
• 1/2 t lemon zest
• a squeeze of lemon juice

Dump all ingredients in a bowl. Stir. Nice work, you're done. 

fry the patties
Heat the vegetable oil over medium high. When you get a strong sizzle from a sacrificial bit of falafel, fry the patties on all sides until golden. 

Throw them on to a bread product of your choice (Karen demands Martin's potato rolls from her hometown). Top with harissa yogurt. And something green and leafy.

You could also serve this over hummus. Or eat them right after you've let them cool for a second. It'll burn, but so worth it.

Pretty close to conjuring the ghost of falafels past.