For years, New Orleans' dining scene has been made up mostly of two kinds of restaurants: the Creole white-tablecloth dining rooms catering to those with money to spend, and at the other end the cheap Cajun restaurants dotting the city and its outlying suburbs.
Now, a decade after Hurricane Katrina, a new generation of chefs is expanding the city's food scene with global accents. On a recent trip to the Big Easy, I was surprised to learn that one of the hottest new restaurants in the city, Shaya, served Israeli food. I have eaten my share of falafel (vegetarian fritters) around the world, but I didn't expect to find such an excellent version of this Israeli "fast food" here.
Falafel are equally delicious eaten alone or stuffed into pita bread topped with tahini (sesame seed paste) sauce, lettuce, onions and tomato. Well-made falafel has a crispy exterior, giving way to a hot fluffy center of seasoned mashed garbanzo beans, garlic and parsley. Unlike other bean fritters, these are made from soaked but uncooked beans. You can make falafel from canned beans, but the texture and taste won't be as good.
It's important to keep the water at a minimum when grinding the beans; otherwise, they may fall apart when they hit the hot oil. If you notice this happening when starting to fry a batch, add a little flour to the mix.
If you don't have a thermometer, add a pinch of the batter when the oil begins to simmer to test if the oil is hot enough (350 degrees). If it begins to sizzle immediately and sinks to the bottom and then pops up to the top, the oil is ready. Once you get the batter and the oil right, your patties will brown beautifully. Serve your falafel hot out of the oil for the best results.
Falafel is a great source of protein for vegetarians. If you want a fast tahini sauce, mix equal amounts of tahini and yogurt, and season to taste with a little salt, pepper, cumin, raw garlic if you like, and lemon juice. Hummus and tzatziki (yogurt cucumber dip) are good accompaniments.
