Name: Beetroot falafel
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions chopped; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 x 400g cans chickpeas drained; 500g raw beetroot peeled, trimmed and coarsely grated; 100g fresh breadcrumb; 1 egg; 1 tbsp tahini paste; vegetable oil for brushing or frying; 1 tbsp tahini paste; 2 x 150ml pots natural yogurt; pinch of sugar; flatbreads; few pickled golden beetroot diced (see 'Goes Well With'); 3 handfuls beet leaves or a bag of beet salad

1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 x 400g cans chickpeas
drained
500g raw beetroot
peeled, trimmed and coarsely grated
100g fresh breadcrumb
1 egg
1 tbsp tahini paste
vegetable oil
for brushing or frying

To serve

1 tbsp tahini paste
2 x 150ml pots natural yogurt
pinch of sugar
flatbreads
few pickled golden beetroot
diced (see 'Goes Well With')
3 handfuls beet leaves or a bag of beet salad

Method

step 1
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until softened but not coloured. Add the cumin and cook for 1 min, then scrape the mixture into a food processor with the chickpeas, two-thirds of the grated beetroot, the breadcrumbs, egg and tahini. Whizz to a rough paste, then scrape into a bowl and stir in the remaining grated beetroot with plenty of seasoning.
step 2
With damp hands, shape into about 20 balls and space on baking parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until ready to serve.
step 3
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the falafels with a little vegetable oil and bake for 20-25 mins until crisp and hot through. Alternatively, heat 2.5cm oil in a deep wok and fry in batches, turning, until crisp and hot.
step 4
To serve, mix the tahini with the yogurt, sugar and some seasoning, then dollop onto the flatbreads with the warm or room-temperature falafels, diced beetroot and beet leaves or salad.