Basil & Cannellini Falafel with Spinach-Tahini Stuffed Pita

I readily eat bread heels. Crusty bread heels especially: it's fun to scoop out the insides and then fill the cavity with tomato sauce, or hummus, or cheese. With regular bread, I'd rather eat the middle slices, as most people do. But even then I've been known to take the end of the loaf and munch away. I just can't bear the alternative of sending them to the compost. But on the whole, these piece are preferable, and infinitely adaptable, in the form of breadcrumbs. My bread heels add to the fluctuating contents of a ziploc bag I keep in the freezer until I time to grind them down. Once ground, they are ready to crown a baked pasta or, as below, become falafel.

Falafel are, in my experience, very messy. Despite the presence of a chewy pita to keep the patties and their accoutrements contained, I cannot tidily eat falafel. Untouched, the falafel has a crisp shell. But once bitten into, the soft innards land in crumbs all over the place. And unfortunately, this recipe does nothing to rectify this problem. If anything, mine are messier. I've pan fried them, and the exterior that forms is fairly soft, although still nicely browned. I have no tips for eating, except- enjoy. And maybe use a bowl.

What I've done here is replace the chickpeas with cannellini beans and the parsley with dried basil. I admit this substitution arose from another case of use-what's-in-the-pantry, rather than an deliberate burst of creativity. But there's a reason these beans were in the cupboard in the first place. While I like chickpeas, I'm not fond of their oddly slippery skins. I much prefer the rich, smooth texture of the cannellini bean. I did leave in elements of the traditional falafel, with sprinkles of cumin and coriander. The mix creates a bite of warm, homey flavours. And the recipe is terribly healthy, so stack your plate (they are fun to stack). I cooked mine in a lightly greased pan; the patties also respond well to baking or a quick fry in hot olive oil, for more crispiness.

What you do with the falafel is up to you. Eating them with a simple condiment like hummus or pesto would make a tasty meal. But they were wonderful with these spinach-filled pita. I stuffed a pita (homemade, and you can too) with tahini-laced spinach and some slices of bright, plump tomato. The falafel should really go in the sandwich too, but my pita refused to carry more than the spinach and tomatoes. Store-bought, I'm guessing, are more generous.

Adapted from Fine Cooking's Falafel Sandwich
Basil & Cannellini Falafel
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 TBSP dried basil 
1/2 cup breadcrumbs* 
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions: 
 --To a blender, add the beans, oil, spices, and basil. Blend until coarsely ground. Dump blender contents into a bowl and mix in breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.**
--Spray a medium saucepan with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Using a large spoon, form mixture into patties about 1 1/2 inches wide.
--Add shaped patties to the pan and cook 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. With a spatula, remove from the pan and place on a plate to cool. Makes approximately 9 falafel.

For the Spinach-Tahini Pita (serves 1)
Ingredients:
2 TBSP tahini
1/4 cup wilted spinach (frozen or fresh that's been cooked in water and drained)
1/2 small tomato, sliced
1 pita, halved
optional: extra tahini

Directions:
--Toast pita or warm in a 250 degrees F oven for the time it takes the spinach to cook. Spoon tahini into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low. Add spinach and cook two to three minutes, until spinach is thawed (if frozen) or until tahini and spinach are well combined.
--Remove pan from the heat, and place tomatoes and spinach mixture inside the pita. If desired, drizzle extra tahini in pita and over the falafel.

*To make breadcrumbs, tear frozen or fresh bread into roughly one or two-inch squares. Using a blender or food processor, grind into crumbs. Store-bought breadcrumbs such as Panko would work fine as well.
**At this point you can freeze the mixture. Before cooking the falafel, let thaw for at least half an hour. I have also successfully frozen the cooked patties. To reheat, bake in a 250 degrees F oven for five minutes.