Crispy Pumpkin Falafel In Pita Recipe

If it's autumn when you're reading this, pumpkins are practically ubiquitous, but recipe developer and "die-hard pumpkin fan" Patterson Watkins points out that "most grocers stock canned pumpkin year round," meaning pumpkin-flavored foods can certainly be a four-seasons thing. While many popular pumpkin recipes are of the sugary variety, Watkins feels that "pumpkin truly is a jack(-o'-lantern) of all trades," thus making it just as suitable for savory recipes as it is for sweet ones.

As Watkins tells us, "Pumpkin imparts this natural earthiness and richness to savory dishes, which works really well with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors." When you mix canned pumpkin into falafel and then deep-fry it, as she does in this recipe, you end up with a dish boasting a "crispity-crunchity exterior and sensationally seasoned, pillowy interior." In order to turn the falafel into a complete meal, however, she plops the patties atop pitas and piles on typical falafel toppings like vegetables and tzatziki sauce.

This pumpkin falafel recipe calls for 20 different ingredients. For the falafel itself, you'll need dried chickpeas that have been soaked in water overnight, canned pumpkin, panko breadcrumbs, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, scallions, cilantro, parsley, and mint, plus cooking oil to fry them in. Watkins also likes to make her fafalel into sandwiches, so for this purpose, you'll need pita bread, tahini, tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, pepitas, and sesame seeds.

Drain and rinse soaked chickpeas and pat dry with paper towels.

Transfer chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Add pumpkin, breadcrumbs, garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt. Pulse until blended.

Add scallions, cilantro, parsley, and mint.

Pulse until blended, then place the mixture in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight) to rest.

Using a scoop or heaped tablespoon, portion the mixture into thick, round patties and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place the patties in the refrigerator while you heat the oil.

In a large pot or Dutch oven placed over high heat, bring the oil to 350 F.

Once hot, carefully add the falafel patties to the oil, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until crisp, browned, and cooked through.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked falafel from the oil and set aside to drain on a wire rack-lined baking sheet.

Top pitas with tahini, tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and falafel.

Sprinkle pitas with pepitas and sesame seeds before serving.

While many falafel recipes are made with canned chickpeas as a shortcut to dried, Watkins prefers dried ones for a reason: "Canned or totally cooked chickpeas are waaaaaay too soft and water-bound, which would result in a wet, mushy mess — definitely not what you want when making falafel," she says. However, Watkins does acknowledge that not everyone is great at planning ahead, so she has a handy hack that will help if you forget to soak the legumes overnight.

Watkins' tip, which she refers to as the hot soak method, involves covering the dried chickpeas with water in pot and then boiling the water for 5 minutes. The beans will still need to be soaked, but this brief boil cuts the soaking time down to just 1 hour instead of 8. Once the hour is up, you can then drain the parboiled peas and pat them dry just as you would with the properly prepared kind.

Watkins says these falafel sandwiches make "a very satisfying lunch or casual dinner." In terms of side dishes, she notes that "fries are always great" and points out that if you're a DIY french fryer, you'll conveniently have a pot of still-warm oil ready to reuse. If you'd like something lighter, though, she suggests "a simple Mediterranean or Greek side salad."

You can, of course, ditch the pitas and serve the fafalel on their own instead of in a sandwich. As Watkins enthuses, "These pumpkin falafel make for superb apps." You can keep them patty-shaped or roll them into balls, with the latter option allowing you to stick toothpicks in them for easy dipping. As for dips, Watkins suggests tahini (mixed with lemon juice to thin it out and brighten the flavor) and tzatziki. You could also opt for hummus. Finally, if you want to stay true to the original ingredients list, Watkins suggests making "a salsa-esque side" out of the tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers, though a cilantro-lime sauce could also work well with these pumpkin falafel.