Mushroom falafels

By ctozzi

This easy recipe for mushroom falafel tastes great with a dollop of tzatziki. Plus its eggless.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup shallot or yellow onion, very finely diced (I used 4 small red onions)
• 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
• a handful of basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin, optional
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

Preparation

Step 1

In a large frying pan, add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until the moisture they release has evaporated and they are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and let them cool for a while. When they are cool enough to handle, chop them well. (You could probably pulse them in a food processor to do this, but you don’t want to accidentally process them into a mush. The shallot, garlic and herbs you can definitely chop up in a food processor.)
In a large bowl mix together the mushrooms, chopped shallot/onion, garlic, herbs and panko breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt. Then, stir in the ricotta cheese.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pad. Use your hands to scoop up small handfuls of the mushroom mixture and press them into little patties about 1 1/2-2 inches across. (I got about 12 patties.) Transfer the patties to the lined baking sheet as you make them. Then, put them in the refrigerator for an hour. (I was crunched with time so I put them in the freezer for 30 minutes). This allows them to set and firm up so they don’t just fall to pieces when you cook them.
When ready to cook the falafels, preheat your oven to 350F. Heat a couple of Tbs. of olive oil in a large frying pan then add as many patties as you can fit into the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. As they are done frying, transfer the patties to another baking sheet (or the same one). Then, put the baking sheet of mushroom-falafels into the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve warm. Put a couple of patties on a pita/flatbread, add spinach and tomato pieces and dollop generously with tzatziki.