Dan Souza's Thanksgiving Falafel with Ultra-Creamy Hummus Paired with Celery and Parsley Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette and Pickled Cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Ultra-Creamy Hummus: 

*BEFORE YOU BEGIN 

We like the light color and mild flavor of Ziyad Tahini Sesame Paste. The hummus will thicken slightly over time; add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to restore its creamy consistency. You can gently warm the hummus—in the microwave or in a nonstick skillet—to make it even smoother and more flavorful. Serve with crudités and pita bread or crackers. 

1. Combine chickpeas, baking soda, and 6 cups water in medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chickpea skins begin to float  to surface and chickpeas are creamy and very soft, 20 to 25 minutes. 

2. While chickpeas cook, mince garlic using garlic press or rasp-style grater. Measure out 1 tablespoon and set aside; discard remaining garlic. Whisk lemon juice, salt, and reserved garlic together in small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain garlic-lemon mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. 

3. Drain chickpeas in colander and return to saucepan. Fill saucepan with cold water and gently swish chickpeas with your fingers to release skins. Pour off most of water into colander to collect skins, leaving chickpeas behind in saucepan. Repeat filling, swishing, and draining 3 or 4 times until most skins have been removed (this should yield about ¾ cup skins); discard skins. Transfer chickpeas to colander to drain. 

4. Set aside 2 tablespoons whole chickpeas for garnish. Process garlic-lemon mixture, ¼ cup water, cumin, and remaining chickpeas in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add tahini and oil and process until hummus is smooth, creamy, and light, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Hummus should have pourable consistency similar to yogurt. If too thick, loosen with water, adding 1 teaspoon at a time.) Season with salt and extra lemon juice to taste. 

5. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley, reserved chickpeas, and extra cumin. Drizzle with extra oil and serve. (Hummus can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 5 days. Let sit, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.) 

Thanksgiving Falafel:

*BEFORE YOU BEGIN 

This recipe requires that the chickpeas be soaked for at least 8 hours. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. An equal amount of chickpea flour can be substituted for the all-purpose flour; if using, increase the water in step 4 to ½ cup. Do not substitute canned or quick-soaked chickpeas; they will make stodgy falafel. Serve the falafel with the tahini sauce as an appetizer or in Pita Bread with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, fresh cilantro, Quick Pickled Turnips and Carrots with Lemon and Coriander, and Tomato-Chile Sauce. Serve the first batch of falafel immediately or hold it in a 200-degree oven while the second batch cooks. 

1. For the Falafel: Place chickpeas in large container and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain well. 

2. Process parsley, onion, celery, sage, garlic, coriander, salt, and pepper in food processor for 5 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to process until mixture resembles pesto, about 5 seconds longer. Add chickpeas and stale bread cubes and pulse 10 times. Scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to pulse until chickpeas and bread cubes are coarsely chopped and resemble sesame seeds, 12 to 15 more pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside. 

3. Whisk flour and ⅓ cup water in bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 10 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency that forms mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl, 40 to 80 seconds. Stir baking powder into flour paste. 

4. Add flour paste to chickpea mixture and, using rubber spatula, mix until fully incorporated. Divide mixture into 24 pieces and gently roll into golf ball–size spheres, transferring spheres to parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet once formed. (Formed falafel can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.) 

5. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 325 degrees. Add half of falafel and fry, stirring occasionally, until deep brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature of 325 degrees. Using slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer falafel to paper towel–lined baking sheet. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining falafel. 

Celery and Parsley Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette:

1. For the vinaigrette: Whisk cranberry sauce, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper together until smooth. (This can be done in a mini food processor, which makes quick work of the cranberry sauce.) Whisking constantly, slowly dizzle in oil until combined. 

2. In a large bowl toss celery, parsley, and shallot with a light coating of vinaigrette. (You may have leftover vinaigrette.) Season salad with salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Plate (will plate on set). 

Pickled Cranberries:

Bring cranberries, vinegar, and sugar to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cranberries just begin to burst, about 2 minutes. Transfer to heatproof bowl and stir in ice. 

Refrigerate until needed.