Chickpea Patties and Tomato Pitta

Instructions

1. 1

   Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then pat thoroughly dry. Use 480 g drained chickpeas, approximately the yield from two 400 g cans. Put them in a bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork until no whole chickpeas remain and the mixture resembles a coarse paste.

2. 2

   Mince the garlic and finely chop the parsley. Mix both into the chickpeas with the flour, cumin, 2 g salt and 10 ml olive oil. Knead briefly by hand until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Shape firmly into eight patties, approximately 7 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick. Spread another 10 ml olive oil thinly over both sides of all eight patties.

3. 3

   Dice the tomatoes and cucumber and finely slice the red onion. Toss in a separate bowl with the lemon juice, remaining 10 ml olive oil and remaining 1 g salt. Set aside while the patties cook.

4. 4

   Preheat the air fryer to 190°C/375°F for 3 minutes. Place four patties directly in the basket in a single layer with space between them. Air-fry for 8 minutes, carefully turn with a spatula, then cook for another 8 minutes, until golden and firm. Check the centres with a food thermometer: they should reach at least 74°C/165°F. If necessary, cook for another 1–2 minutes and check again. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover.

5. 5

   Cook the remaining four patties at 190°C/375°F for 8 minutes, turn, then cook for another 8 minutes, checking that their centres reach 74°C/165°F. Allow 35 minutes of air-fryer time including preheating and both batches, plus any extra time needed to reach temperature.

6. 6

   Use four ready-to-eat pittas weighing about 80 g each, checking that they contain no animal ingredients. Leave them at room temperature and carefully open their pockets. Fill each with two patties and some tomato salad, serving the remaining salad alongside.