Finally found a dish the entire family likes. Based on Jeanie’s Falafel from allrecipes.com
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jeanies-falafel/
Ingredients
- 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- Mash the garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Stir in the onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley cumin, turmeric, baking powder, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Do not be afraid to use your hands. Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls; you should get 18 to 24. If the mixture does not hold together, add a little water.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Carefully drop the balls into the hot oil, and fry until brown. If you do not have a deep fryer, heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. You may need to adjust the heat slightly after the first couple of falafels, and be sure to turn frequently so they brown evenly.
My main deviation, due to a review of the reviews, was to add eggs/flour to help bind all the stuff together. I made it a second time the next day, and all you really need is an egg to bind it.
Made it twice. The first time, they were fried by daddy. Used a candy thermometer to help regulate the temperatures really helps — around 350 F is ideal. Used the t-fal pot the second time: good deep frying pan.
Tried baking some. They didn’t turn out well. They did not brown, and they were dry. The whole family concluded that deep frying made it taste lots better.
Everyone liked it enough to conclude having a “falafel” night every week. We all like the taste, the health, and the break from meat.
Also, tried making pizza fries. Bakes french fries, dressed with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, julienned pepperoni. First of all, despite the directions on the package baked french fries still don’t taste that great. Second of all, marinara sauce plus french fries don’t mix. It was edible and we finished it, but I didn’t particularly care for it.
Was reminded again of one of the many reasons why I started cooking again. The primary reason is wanting to stop being lazy after the visit to Hong Kong, the second was to look forward to food. Mommy cooked dinner yesterday, and Grace, Daddy and I realized we were a little spoiled by tasty food.
Mommy threw together all the remaining cilantro (I’m guessing 1/2 a pound’s worth), all the remaining frozen okra, (another 1/2 a pound), used up an entire roll of HEB ground sausage, all the flour (2 cups?), and all the eggs (ok, only one) in the house into one pot, and mixed it together in a pot with heat to make a perfectly edible, but utterly conflicting combination of taste and texture, slimy blend of vegetably mush.
Daddy made steamed eggs to supplement this. He proved to me, via a double-blind experiment, that MSG does make steamed eggs more savory. Daddy prepared a batch of eggs, and dispensed it into two pans. Then Grace added the MSG to one of the pans. We cooked it, tasted it, and could both determine which batch had the MSG.
Touche, joy of cooking, or whatever cookbook I read that said MSG doesn’t affect eggs.
-Isaac
20120305
Tomorrow, fish again?