Recipe - Chickpea And Sweet Potato Koftas

Three fourths pound Sweet potato; or yam (one
medium)
1 One half cup Chickpeas; cooked
1 lg Garlic clove
2 Scallions; cut into 1"
pieces
2 teaspoon Cumin seed; lightly toasted
1 tablespoon Minced ginger; fresh
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper;
to taste
6 tablespoon Unbleached flour
1 cup Peas
Vegetable oil; or olive oil,
for sautéeing

NOTE: If you use frozen peas, you do not need to defrost them first.

Peel and dice the sweet potato or yam, and cook it in boiling water until
softabout 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Drain well.
(Or cook the whole sweet potato in the microwave until soft, then peel.)
You should have about 1 One half cups of cooked sweet potato. Transfer to a food
processor.

Add all the other ingredients, except the flour, peas and oil. Puree until
fairly smooth. (The mixture might be very thick, depending on the sweet
potato or yam, so be patient with this process.) Transfer to a bowl.

Stir in the flour until it is thoroughly incorporated, then gently stir in
the peas. Form into large or small patties. To make them uniform or
professional looking, use a 1/4cupcapacity ice cream scoop or a 1/4cup
measure to scoop up the mixture. Then pat each one down until it is about
1/2inch thick and 2 One half inches in diameter.

Place a skillet over medium heat and add a little bit of oil. When the oil
is very hot, add the patties and sauté for about 8 to 10 minutes on each
side, or until lightly browned and heated through. Serve hot, warm or at
room temperature.

Makes 16 21/2" patties (4 maindish servings or 6 appetizers) Prep: 3540
mins.PER 4th SERVING: 247 cals, 2.3 g fat, 8.1%

LUNCH: serve them in a pita with minced tomatoes and cucumbers, and some
yogurt. BUFFET:TomatoFennel Consomme, Mediterranean Yogurt, Roasted
Vegetables (375F oil and balsamic with seasonings); Figs with Mascarpone,
Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts.

BAKE (alt): If you are in a hurry and don't have the time to form patties
and saute them, you can make this into a small casserole instead. Omit the
flour and just spread the mixture into a lightly oiled 8x8inch pan. Top
with a few bread crumbs, and bake uncovered at 350F for about 30 minutes or
until heated through.

KOFTAS are little patties or balls made from ground or mashed vegetables.
In traditional East Indian cooking, they are usually deepfried and served
in a creamy, savory sauce. In this recipe, the koftas are shaped into
patties, similar to falafel, then sautéed or baked instead of deepfried.
These delicious little circles are also quite pretty: a deep shade of
golden yellow, punctuated by nuggets of bright green peas.

kitpath nov 1997

Recipe by: Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven (1997)