Chick Pea and Feta Cakes with Tahini Yoghurt

Greek yoghurt, a half zested lemon, some chopped parsley, half a bunch of green onions and the newly purchased jar of tahini were the inspiration for this meal. I have to admit I was hesitant about making it, as my husband does not like tahini, and is hit and miss when it comes to chick peas that aren't turned into hummus!

I worried for nothing...he loved it and went back for seconds! I was making chicken shwarma and really wanted to serve it with these falafel inspired chick pea cakes, so I did. I also used the Greek yoghurt together with lemon juice and some of the tahini to make a sauce, which was a cool contrast to the spicy chicken, and a good fit with the cakes.

I rounded it out with grape tomatoes, more feta cheese and fresh basil, adding freshness, sweetness and juiciness. All in all, a success, and a perfect dinner for eating out on the deck.

To make the chick pea cakes, place the following into the bowl of a food processor:

1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
Zest of half a lemon
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon harissa infused olive oil

Process until the chick peas are small pieces, not a puree. you want to keep some of the texture.

Add:

4 green onions, roughly chopped

Process to combine. Remove from the food processor and place into a bowl.

Mix in:

1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Now taste and add salt and pepper if needed. My feta cheese was quite salty so I only need a small amount of salt.

Using wet hands, roll into 12 balls, and press them flat into cakes. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until you are ready to cook them.








While the chick pea cakes are chilling, make the tahini yoghurt, grill the chicken and chop the grape tomatoes and basil.

Mix together:

1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
2 - 3 teaspoons tahini
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Refrigerate if not using immediately.

To cook the chick pea cakes, preheat the oven to 400F.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a non stick pan until very hot. Add the cakes and cook to brown and crisp both sides, removing to a sheet pan when done.

Place into the oven to finish cooking, about 10  minutes.




I served the chick pea cakes as a base for everything else on the plate, with chopped up chicken shwarma on top. I added the grape tomatoes, feta and basil as a topping and a dollop of the tahini yoghurt. The remaining yoghurt was passed at the table.

• These feta and chick pea cakes were inspired by falafel, which is a Middle Eastern chick pea cake, with spices such as ground cumin, coriander, parsley and chopped onions. I added in feta cheese, lemon zest to brighten the flavour and harissa infused olive oil for heat.
• The cakes can be made a day ahead. The mixture is soft, but if you work carefully with them, they are nice and moist and fluffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside.
• You can skip the step of browning the cakes in the pan and put them straight into the oven on a lightly oiled pan.
• Experiment with other types of beans...black beans, fava beans, edamame beans.
• Greek yoghurt is thicker than regular yoghurt, but if you don't have any simply place regular yoghurt into a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and place it into the fridge over night, allowing the extra liquid to drain out, and leaving you with a thicker yoghurt. This also works well when making tzatziki.
• Tahini is a sesame seed paste, similar to nut butters. It is creamy, and mild, but with it's own distinct flavour. I added 2 teaspoons to start and ended up adding another. Add as much as you want. If you do not have any, mix toasted sesame seeds to the yoghurt, or omit completely.