Feta Falafel With Cauliflower And Couscous Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 None cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tbsp + 50ml + 1 dash olive oil
75 g couscous
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
30 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves stripped from 3 stems, remainder roughly chopped
300 g celery, diced
50 g dried cranberries, roughly chopped
50 g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2 x 400 g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 None onion, peeled and finely diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 None red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 None egg yolks
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cumin
125 g feta, cut into 16 cubes
2 litres vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation

To make the salad: Preheat the oven to 425\u00b0F. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 25 mins. Meanwhile, add the couscous, 1/3 cup boiling salted water and a dash of olive oil to a bowl and leave for 5 mins. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. In another bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar and 3 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Toss with the cauliflower, couscous, parsley leaves, celery, cranberries and hazelnuts.
To make the falafel: In a blender, puree the chickpeas, onion, garlic, chopped parsley, chili and egg yolks. Stir in the breadcrumbs, flour and cumin and season with salt and black pepper. Wet your hands and divide the mixture into 16 balls. Press a piece of feta into the center of each ball, smoothing the chickpea mixture around it. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan or deep fryer to 350\u00b0F. Fry the falafel balls in batches for 4-5 mins each, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and serve warm with the cauliflower salad.