Pumpkin and Falafel in Mountain Breed (with very special vegan style aioli)
March 21, 2010 EASY, mains, vegetarian
I took the aioli spread for this dish out of a book called Veganomicon. A book I’d brought for Ann’s birthday. I like the idea that an element of the picnic food I had prepared for her celebration would reference her gift. But I truly fell in love with this vegan aioli because it is versatility and because it is totally not substitutive. I know the name suggests so, but at the end of the day, it is all food and not boxed or labelled not “not” stuffs.
So, I’d already decided to make falafel with a pumpkin cameo. The aioli made sense as an afterthought. It worked superbly well to provide extra moisture, garlic and that tad a tad of tang.
Serves: A picnic
Prep: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Construction: 25 min
Falafel:
1 can of chickpeas
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
½ Spanish onion finely chopped
1 handful of parsley chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Plain flour for dusting
1. Crush or blitz the chickpeas so they become like a thick paste
2. In a bowl, add remaining ingredients and combine well.
3. While you are heating a pan with some olive oil begin to form the balls by rolling and flattening in the palm of your hand. Coat in flour and place in the pan.
4. Fry for approximately 3 minutes on each side.
5. Remove and place on a plate to cool.
Vegan Aioli:
1 can of white beans
2 garlic cloves finely chopped (or more to taste)
½ lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Place all ingredients in a in a bowl and blitz until smooth
Constructing the sandwich:
Mountain bread
Roast pumpkin
Baby Spinach
1. On a single piece of mountain bread construct the sandwich by spreading the soft roast pumpkin first. Then drissle a little of the aioli on top, lay down baby spinach and then three of the falafel balls as shown.
2. Roll each into a pocket with the ends tucked in so that when you cut them in half through the middle a nice base to each sandwich stops the guts falling out of it.
