Lamb
Lamb and roasted squash falafel
Tender, sweet and flavourful fried falafels. These take a bit of work, but are entirely worth it. Once you've rolled them let the falafels chill for a good while, or they'll fall apart when you fry them. Serve with taboulleh, hummus, pitta and salad for a complete Middle Eastern meal.
Ingredients
- 150g squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm dice
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- pinch of allspice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 75g minced lamb
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 50g chard
- 220ml milk
- 100g chickpea flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 50g cooked chickpeas, mashed
- sunflower oil
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Roast the squash for 15-20 minutes to tender, roughly mash and set aside.
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Step 2
Sweat the onion, garlic, cumin and allspice in a tablespoon of olive oil for 5 minutes to soften, set aside.
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Step 3
Fry off the minced lamb for 5 minutes, stir in the sweet chilli sauce and set aside.
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Step 4
Blanch the chard in boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain and cool then squeeze out and finely chop, set aside.
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Step 5
Now bring the milk to simmering in a small saucepan and whisk in the chickpea flour a little at a time to avoid lumps, once you have a smooth paste add the remaining olive oil and the salt, continuing to stir with a wooden spoon for about 6-8 minutes until it balls (like choux pastry). This is the stuff that holds it all together.
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Step 6
Remove from heat and allow to cool before mixing it together with the lemon juice and all the pre-prepared ingredients you've set aside, and the chickpeas, adding a little more chickpea flour if required.
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Step 7
Using your hands, form the falafels by pinching off enough mixture to roll into walnut sized balls and once done, arrange on a tray, cover with cling film and chill for a couple of hours.
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Step 8
Pour enough oil into a pan sufficient to cover the falafel, heat to very hot (test with a small amount of mixture to check that it sizzles) then fry for 3-4 minutes in small batches until golden brown. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and sit on kitchen paper to drain and remove excess oil.
