Golden Balls of Joy

This was my Christmas Eve feast. And a new challenge is unveiled – the hunt for the best felafel. So far Afteem, just around the corner from Manger Square in Bethlehem, is in pole position. The fat, golden balls arrived fresh from the fryer, the outside crisp and crunchy and the inside was soft and glowing green with herbs. (You don’t get that when the whole thing is squashed into a pita.) The cumin levels were just right.

Alongside are a plate of hummus – naturally – and some mutabbal. Wasn’t so keen on this combination of tahini and aubergine. Surely grilled aubergine just needs some lemon juice, olive oil and garlic? Anything more is just overegging things.