Fennel Soup and Chick Pea Cakes

[Lazybones]

Made this with my daughter this afternoon and it is absolutely delicious.

For soup:
2 fennel bulbs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 potato, chopped
2 star anise
1 tbsp fennel seeds
seasoning
500ml vegetable or chicken stock
cream or milk to finish

For cakes:
1 can chick peas, mashed ot thrown in blender
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 egg
leftover mashed potato
1 chilli, finely chopped
Coriander, chopped

For soup:

Throw all veggies in pan with a little oil and cook down without browning for about 5 mins.
Add in star anise, fennel seeds and stock and thingy down for another 10 mins (or until cooked)
Add cream or milk to finish
Season, blitz with blender - although you can take out the star anise before doing this I just passed it through a sieve to make it really fine.

For Chick Pea Cakes:
Fry off onion and garlic
Blitz chick peas in blender and put in bowl and add onion and garlic
Throw in rest of ingredients and mix with hands (19 month old daughter especially enjoyed this part ;D)
Now, I then just rolled these in small cakes - smaller than a tennis ball and fried them off in oil
You can roll them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fry them if you fancy.
Then you put a few in the bottom of a bowl and cover with the hot soup.  Yum yum.

We did manage to lose several of the chick pea cakes as we were cooking them though - strange things that a 19 month old likes but actually you could also serve these cakes with a yogurt dip at a party I reckon.

[Lazybones]

[supernan]

Sounds great Lazybones. I think I will try growing fennel again this year. Last years bolted.

Be careful with chick peas in the blender, I burnt out my motor on mine blitzing them last year!!

[aquilegia]

sounds yummy. Must give them a try...

[NattyEm]

ooo that sounds yummy :o)

I was just sat here wondering what to have for dinner - but we only have dried chickpeas not canned, can't soak them fast enough for tonight!

[gavin]

Yummmmmmmmmm!  You can have a lot of fun with that kind of bean cake - I practically lived off them for 5 years in Egypt.  I'll dig out a couple of recipes!

All best - Gavin

[NattyEm]

grr i forgot again last night to put chickpeas in to soak.  Right I'm going to do it now.  This is tomorrows dinner since I happen to have a huge fennel bulb waiting to be eaten.

[NattyEm]

made this, it was yummy thanks!

[gavin]

I am a silly p.....k - had my recipe real handy all the time.

Ta'amiyya or Falafel - Egyptian style  (Fried bean cakes - served inside a pitta bread, with some fresh salad; another Egyptian staple.)

- 500 g (1 lb) dried broad beans soaked over night, and skinned next day
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper - generous grinding
- half tsp ground coriander
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- good handful chopped fresh coriander, or parsley (flat-leaved, by preference)
- sesame seeds (optional)

- enough oil for deep-frying

Put the beans through a mincer twice, or a food processor, until they are fairly fine ground;

Add remaining ingredients, and knead to a smooth, soft mixture;

Form into balls - the size of two walnuts; flatten slightly, and roll in the sesame seeds if you wish;

Deep fry until nicely browned and cooked through - it takes 3-5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on absorbent paper;

Serve, accompanied by warmed pitta bread, fresh green salad, hummus, and tahina sauce; let people assemble their own sandwiches.

These can also be made with chick peas, or indeed any white bean.

All best - Gavin

[Doris_Pinks]

Gavin you are a mind reader! ;D
I was going to ask if anyone had a falafel recipe as I fancied having a go! Have you ever tried baking them in the oven as opposed to deep frying? (trying to think about my expanding waistline, and I can't stand the smell of deep fried in the house!)
Which bean would you use for preference?
Thanks DP

[aquilegia]

Gavin - Echo DP's baking question. (Not so much wasteline worries - I am terrified of doing deep-fat frying!)

And can you use fresh broadies?

[gavin]

I haven't tried baking them - I guess it'd work as long as the oven was hot enough for the outside to crispen leaving the inside moist and soft and steamy.  Worth a try?

I like best the dried ful/broad beans, soaked and skinned - but that's maybe me homesick for Egyptian corner shops.  I've also used haricots and chickpeas.

Green broad beans - I like the sound of it;  it'd come out quite different.  Hmmm - that's worth a go too, I reckon - if only to see what they'd be like.

All best - Gavin

[Tulipa]

Oh Gavin, I shall use your recipe, I lived in the Middle East for 5 years and love the food.  I have a veggie daughter and have tried several arabic recipes on her!

[gavin]

Look what I found :)  (Not what I was looking for but never mind - oven-baked falafel)

Falafel, Yemeni-Style

Falaafil Yamanee, Yemen

Makes about 48 small patties

This Yemeni version is like falafel made in the Fertile Crescent countries and Egypt, but consists wholly of chickpeas and includes eggs in the ingredients.

2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours and drained
1/2 head garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup finely chopped green onions
1 egg salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Place chickpeas in food processor and process until they are very finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and process until dough-like paste is formed.

Shape into patties and place on a pan or baking sheet coated with oil. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, for 30 minutes or until done.

Note: Patties may be deep fried, a less healthy but more flavorful version.

Whereabouts were you Tulippa?  I was in Egypt for 5 years, and Yemen for 3 - VERY happy memories :) :) :)

All best - Gavin

[Doris_Pinks]

Thank you for finding that Gavin  :-*

[aquilegia]

Cheers Gavin!

But Cilantro? Do they sell that here? Any alternative? (I have no ideda what it is. Only know it thanks to American films!)

[Doris_Pinks]

Cilantro is fresh corriander Aqui. (I find it is one of those fresh herbs you either love or hate!)

[aquilegia]

Oh right - thanks DP. Why do they have to give these things weird names? I have some corriander seed waiting for window sill space so I can sow it!

[Mrs Ava]

LOVE FALAFEL!  Never been any where as exotic as the middle east, but there was a wonderful middle eatern restaurant just off Picadilly Circus and they did great take away falafel in pittas for less money than a rubbish sambo from an sandwich shop!  You can imagine where I spent my money.

[Muddy_Boots]

Well, while we on the subject of beans and peas - dried.  Don't forget, you can do a big batch, soak and cook, and then, portion them up and place in the freezer!  When you fancy one of your bean recipes and have not time, they are there on hand!

:D :D :D

Thanks Gavin, as always, you did it again!