We wound our way through tiny, cobblestoned streets that smelled like smoke and coffee and the acrid scent of city in summer. We were looking for falafel. We were in Paris. I was thirteen. I can’t say for sure, but I’m relatively certain I had never had falafel before. There were no purveyors of the sublime little fried balls of spiced chickpeas and herbs on our tiny island in the middle of the Pacific. We’d been advised to find the best falafel in Paris right here, in these narrow byways of the quatrième arrondissement, the Marais.
My wait in line outside the tiny, street-facing window of L’As du Fallafel was my very first foray into cult-food-lining. 5am cronut lines were just a twinkle in our current food-obsessed culture’s eye, and yet there we were, salivating as we anticipated placing a frenzied order in the awkward Franglish we possessed. But order we did, and I watched in delight as they piled eggplant, hummus, yogurt, pickled peppers, bright magenta cabbage, tahini, and, of course, falafel, into a pliant, warm pita.
They wrapped everything in deli paper and sent us on our way to Place des Vosges, a royally planned public square at the heart of the Marais. We sat, chomping through our equally royal falafel pitas, agog at their deliciousness and the beauty of the linden trees and aristocratic edifices all around. I’m not sure anything had ever tasted so exotic to me in my life to that point. I was in love.
And as I grew older and spent more time in the kitchen, the flavors I learned that day would suffuse much of what I cooked. I wanted to wrap myself in that herbaceous blend of creamy and tangy and savory and crunchy and salty and light and dense. I taught myself to make hummus and baba ganoush, and I slathered everything in tahini.
These Mediterranean wraps are my answer to L’As du Fallafel cravings, made easy with crispy pan-fried chickpeas, roasted smoky eggplant dip, cucumber mint quick pickles, and gorgeously tender Flatout Whole Grain White wraps.
Topped with fun, easy add-ons like tzatziki yogurt sauce, Greek olives, feta, and tomato, these wraps are umami flavor bombs of joy. You know, for those days when you don’t quite feel prepared to make your own falafel.
For the baba ganoush, I use an easy salting and drying method to draw excess water out of the eggplant before roasting—you’ll love the creamy results. That plus the gorgeous char once its roasted make for a perfect baba ganoush. Tahini and a little smoked salt up the earthy quotient.
Whip these babies up for a dinner wrap party and make extra to eat for lunch (in sandwich or salad form) throughout the week. You’ll be thrilled to have all the yums on hand!
This post is sponsored by Flatout Bread. Thanks for supporting the businesses that keep Kale & Caramel thriving! All opinions are my own.
MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA & BABA GANOUSH WRAPS.
Ingredients
baba ganoush
- 2 medium eggplants, sliced into ½" slices
- salt for sprinkling
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- 3-5 cloves garlic peels on
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- ¼ teaspoon smoked salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
crispy cumin chickpeas
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley divided
- 15.5 ounce can chickpeas drained
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
cucumber mint quick pickles
- ½ cup roughly chopped cucumber
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves
tzatziki yogurt sauce
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons grated cucumber
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
the full wrap
- 4 Flatout Healthy Grain Wraps
- Kalamata or Greek style olives to taste
- crumbled feta cheese to taste
- chopped tomato to taste
- chopped romaine lettuce to taste
Instructions
Make the smoky eggplant dip.
- Preheat oven to 425º.
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Spread sliced eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt on both side, gently massaging the salt into all areas of the eggplant. (Salting the eggplant helps draw out the water, resulting in a creamier texture once cooked.) Let sit 10-15 minutes, then squeeze excess water out into paper towels. Return eggplant slices to baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and massage oil on both sides. Give the cloves of garlic (with peels oa quick rub of olive oil and scatter them in empty space on the tray. Roast 20-25 minutes, checking at 15 to allow for differences in your oven’s heating, until eggplant is tender and beginning browning around the edges.
- (Optional: Make crispy chickpeas while eggplant roasts, directions below.)
- Let cool a few minutes, then scoop flesh of eggplant from the skins and discard skins. Discard peels of garlic cloves. Place eggplant flesh and roasted garlic in a food processor or blender with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, tahini, smoked salt, and lemon juice. Blend until completely smooth, then add in chopped parsley and pulse until parsley is in flecks. Set aside.
Make the crispy chickpeas.
- In a frying pan, heat olive oil over medium flame. Add minced garlic, ground cumin, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and stir until fragrant. Add chickpeas and sea salt. Swirl in pan and stir to coat chickpeas with oil and spices. Let chickpeas cook in an even layer, shaking pan occasionally, 7-10 minutes, until the skins are browning and beginning to crisp. When you start to hear the chickpeas pop, toss in remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and remove from heat. Set aside.
Make the cucumber mint quick pickles.
- Combine cucumber, vinegar, lemon juice, and sea salt in a bowl and set aside. Stir in mint just before serving.
Make the tzatziki yogurt sauce.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Assemble the wraps!
- Lightly warm the wraps in a skillet on the stove, or wrapped in foil in an oven. Assemble wrap beginning with a nice smear of baba ganoush. Add crispy chickpeas, then crumbled feta, then chopped romaine, then more crispy chickpeas, olives, tomatoes, cucumber mint quick pickles, more feta, and a generous dollop of tzatziki yogurt sauce. Or, y'know, assemble however you like. It’s your universe!
