While I was preparing acorns for cakes on the previous pages, I noticed their similarity to chickpeas in texture, flavour and consistency. I thought it would be interesting to try making them into a savoury snack - acorn falafel.

I was delighted with the result - they're crispy and nutty on the outside and tender - almost meaty - within.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 250g (After peeling) sweet acorn kernels (see here)
• 2 Tablespoons plain flour
• 1 Onion
• 2 Cloves garlic
• 1 Teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
• A few sprigs of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Method:

Peel the acorns - drop them into a waiting bowl of cold water as you go, to keep them fresh.

As they're not needed whole, the easiest way to peel them is to chop them in half lengthways and pick off the shell with your fingers. Don't bother removing the thin layer of pith on the kernels.

Boil the acorns for about 10 to 15 minutes, then drain them and rinse in cold water. Pick out any pieces of thin skin that have come off the kernels, but there's no need to be too scrupulous about this.

Put the acorns in a food processor and blend until very finely chopped - they should in fact start to form a ball of sticky dough.

Chop the onion and crush the garlic - add these and all the other ingredients (not the oil!) and blend until well mixed.

Take small pieces of the mixture and form them into tight balls, then flatten them a little.

Heat about half a centimetre of oil in a pan and add the falafel (if it doesn't sizzle straight away, your oil isn't hot enough).

Cook until browned on one side, turn once only (the more you turn them, the more oil they will soak up) and brown the other side, then remove and drain on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.

Serve as a snack with dips and dipping sauces, or in a sandwich of warmed pitta bread, with salad.