Feta-Stuffed Falafel with Tzatziki

Falafel can’t necessarily be improved—the classic Middle Eastern dish of deep fried herby chickpea fritters is perfect as is. But, while it may not be traditional, we couldn’t help but stuff them with the cult-favorite Australian sheep’s and goat’s milk feta from Meredith Dairy. While the falafel fries, this already-creamy cheese gets warm and delicious. You can tuck the falafel into a pita with your favorite spreads and veggies, but we like them served simply as an appetizer, dunked into cooling tzatziki.

Featuring

prep time
40minutes
assembly time
30minutes
Serves
2people

preparation & ingredients

8 oz. Victor’s Labne

2 oz. hot house or Persian cucumber

1 garlic clove

1 Tbsp. Murray’s Koroneiki EVOO

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped

1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, drained

3 garlic cloves

1 small onion, diced

4 ¾ cups canola or vegetable oil, divided

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

5 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 11-oz. jar Meredith Dairy Marinated Feta

Make the tzatziki: Add the labne to a small mixing bowl. Grate the garlic and cucumber carefully into the bowl with the small holes of a cheese grater or with a microplane, scraping the grater or microplane to get all of the cucumber and garlic into the bowl. Add chopped dill, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the mixture and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined. Transfer to a serving dish.

Make the Falafel: Add 4 cups canola or vegetable oil to a medium pot so that it’s about 2 inches deep and a 2-ounce scoop of falafel batter can float freely in the pot when frying.

Begin to heat the oil while you prep the falafel, making sure to not let the oil go above 400 F and ideally staying around 375 F.

Drain the oil from the Meredith Dairy Feta, reserving 2 Tbsp. for the falafel mixture. Discard the black peppercorns. Set the cheese aside for when it’s time to fill the falafel.

Add the chickpeas, feta oil, ¾ cup vegetable oil, lemon juice, cumin, and coriander to a food processor. Process until smooth.

Transfer the chickpea mixture to a medium mixing bowl, and grate the garlic into the mixing bowl with a microplane or the small holes of a cheese grater.

Add the onion, parsley, and flour to the chickpea mixture and mix until fully incorporated.

Use a 2-ounce scoop to scoop batter into one hand. Press lightly to make a disk.

Create a divot in the middle of the disk, and add about 1/3 cube of the feta into the middle of the divot. Gently fold the sides of the batter up to create a ball around the feta. Repeat, setting aside the falafel balls until you go through all of the batter.

Gently lower 4 falafel into the oil with a spoon and allow to fry until the exterior is a deep golden brown.

Remove from the oil and set aside on paper towels to blot any excess oil and keep your falafel nice and crispy.

Allow the oil about two to three minutes to come up to temperature before frying the next batch. Continue frying 4 at a time until you’ve fried all of the falafel.

Serve your falafel with tzatziki on the side for dipping!