Felafels in pitta: drain and rinse a tin of chick peas, let them drain well and pat dry in kitchen roll. Dump them in the food processor when dry. Chop lots of coriander and parsley and dump that in. Add a shallot or half an onion (don't add too much onion or they'll be too wet, especially the big juicy white onions - hence shallots are best). Add finely chopped garlic. Add a small egg. For spices and seasoning I use salt, black pepper, turmeric, ground cumin, and ground coriander. I use a heaped teaspoon of each except turmeric (dead strong, particularly if not old) which I use half a teaspoon. Don't put these in yet. You can use more, but only if you need it AFTER TASTING. So, blitzz a bit so they are no longer layers and have started mixing up then add half the spices and blitz some more. Get a spoon in and get the stuff from the edges away from the blade that doesn't get blitzed and stir it up. Add the rest of the spices and blitz until finely ground but not a puree. A few visible bits of chickpea doesn't hurt. Get a frying pan on for the tasting. Take a little bit out and fry it in sunflower oil. Adjust seasoning and check moisture. It should press into balls and not stick to your hands. If it is too wet, add semolina or gram flour, pulse it in, then put in the fridge. Make some yoghurt, mint, and cucumber raita. Roll your pitta dough or get the pre-made pittas ready. Get the frying pan heating with enough oil for a shallow fry. Make spheres and press into patties. Don't crowd the pan, do batches and leave on a tray in a medium oven while you d the rest. Heat/cook your pittas. Serve with hummus and salad. 35-40 mins.
Frittata: slice some potatoes into 5-6mm slices. Leave the skin on and put the slices in a pan with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil then turn the heat right down. We want them to cook but not start falling apart. Let them steam dry in a colander or empty pan. Meantime, slice onions, garlic, sweet peppers, chilli (if you like it) and soften gently in a bit of olive oil. Make a scrambled egg/omelette mix (two eggs per person plus an extra one, milk, s&p, whisk). When the onions and peppers are soft, turn up the heat to medium high and pour just enough egg in to cover the onions and peppers. As this starts to cook, lay the potato slices down in a layer on top of the onions etc. Break potatoes so they fit well and are the same thickness and flat all the way across. Press down a bit. S&P on the potatoes (the spanish always put too much salt on for me), add plenty of chopped parsley, and pour the rest of the eggs in to cover the potatoes and parsley. Turn the grill on high. When you feel the bottom is cooked get the frittata under the grill until the top is all puffed up and browning in patches. You can use the oven instead of the grill, particularly if you don't want it soft in the middle, but I like it soft. If you are hungry, or greedy, serve with goats cheese crumbled on (less salt on the potatoes in this case). 30 mins max.
