Lebanese wraps

I love a falafel wrap for lunch, it’s my go to hangover cure or Friday treat. In fact, there are two great falafel stalls near where I work that I’m obsessed with. The first is a small Lebanese falafel stall on Earlham Street just off Seven Dials in Covent Garden. For £3.50 you can get a lovingly made falafel wrap from the falafel man. He makes all his own falafels and even pickles his own turnips. I love him.
However, if I’m feeling reeeeeeeeally hungover and need a bigger feed then I walk to Berwick Street Market and join the end of a very long queue for the ‘big dog’ of falafel wraps. Jerusalem Falafel make their own Lebanese flatbreads (Saj) the traditional way right in front of you. The young bread maker, covered head to toe in flour (bless him) will be effortlessly tossing and twirling the dough in his hands before stretching it over a pillow. Finally he throws it onto a hot plate before flinging them into a basket, ready to be filled, wrapped and eaten by hungover people like myself.
As much as I would love to eat at these two delightful stalls every day, I can’t really afford to, so I decided to make my own wraps. I’m using my own baked falafel recipe to save on calories but shop bought falafels work just as well, just use more of them as my falafels are pretty huge. I don’t think I’ve said the word falafel enough in this post, hang on lets count… Oh look, only 10 times, ridiculous.

Lebanese wraps
Makes 1 wrap / Hands on time 5-10 mins / Total time 5-10 mins / V Vn Df 🌶
You’ll need: Baking paper
Packet of wholemeal flatbreads or pitas
2-3 homemade falafels or shop-bought ones
1 tbs Houmous
Handful chopped iceberg lettuce
½ sliced tomato
Pickled turnip or pickled red cabbage (pickled turnip can be hard to find – I went to my local Mediterranean supermarket in Kentish town but you can buy them here)
sliced pickled cucumbers to serve
2-3 pickled green chillis in brine
Cayenne pepper sauce (optional)
Freshly chopped parsley to serve

Method
1. Grill the flatbread or toast the pita and put to one side. Use this time to chop the tomato, lettuce, pickled cucumbers and parsley.
2. Take a large shoe of baking paper and place your flatbread in the middle – if you need it to go. If eating straight away use a plate.
3. Spread with humous and start layering your ingredients starting with the lettuce, followed by the tomato. Squash the falafels a bit and place the pickled vegetables around the sides. Season well with salt and pepper before drizzling with chilli sauce and sprinkling with parsley.

How to wrap
I like to fill my wrap up as much as possible and then just squash it all together. I lift both side of the wrap and try and get the far edges to touch in the centre (they never do). Then as tight as you can roll it up in the baking paper. Half way through fold the bottom of the paper up and carry on rolling so seal the bottom. Twist the top and there you have it. Rip the top of the paper off and eat your way down, don’t attempt to unwrap it or it will almost certainly fall apart in your hands.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian.    Vn – Vegan.    Df – Dairy free.   🌶 mild -hot depending on the chilli sauce