1 post tagged “flalafel”
What Was I thinking?
Because of the counter project, a quart container full of beige powder
labeled "Falafel" sits on the counter. Well, if it's on the counter,
we have to eat it then, don't we? Besides, falafel is one of squant's
favorite foods.
So I text him from work to ask him to mix it with some water so it has
a chance to stand, and also to mix some mint in with some yogurt,
because that seems kind of appropriate. Because you know, I've never
made falafel before.
Sometimes I forget that Squant has a whole year of gribblet's cooking under his belt, and he's a pretty sharp monkey. So when half an hour later he comes back and says "It's very gloopy. It's more like hummous than falafel mix. I don't think this is right", I don't think "Something is wrong here", I thought "My sweetheart still gets flustered by the kitchen, that's so cute."
"Add falafel powder" I text back, and go back to my trying to wrap up a hundred different things at work.
I get home, and find a bowl of beige gloop about the consistency of a good milkshake on the counter. squant glowers at it while I mix the rest of the powder in. "This is not right." He keeps saying. I am beginning to have misgivings also, but if there's one thing I know about cooking, if you're making something for the very first time and it seems to be going off the rails, trying to correct after things have gone wrong will just depress you. Best to just carry on more or less towards where you think that barn is.
Recipe
Mix together:
- 1 quart beige "falafel" powder
- About yay much water
Also mix together:
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 tbsp dried mint
- 8 tiny little pita breads
- 1 avacado
- 1 romaine heart, lengthwise
Take the beige goop and make it into eight patties. Ignore squant's suspicuous muttering. Decide to occupy him by asking him to fill the 8 tiny little cut pita breads with a tablespoon of humous, an eighth of an avacado, and some onion.
Beige goop does not make very good patties. By this point, Squant will be declaring that the powder is hummous mix and all it needs is some garbanzo beans and oil and it will be great hummous. Ignore him; you've tasted it, and that stuff is definitely not hummous. It's not selling itself much as falafel either, but clearly - not hummous.Put about 1/4 inch of olive oil in the bottom of a pan. Heat on medium heat until sizzling, then gently place the patties in the oil. Around this time squant will declare that he's not putting onions in the 8 tiny little pitas. Your feeling is, at this point it hardly matters. Decide that he'll be better occupied with something a little more challenging. Take the one Romaine heart out of the fridge, slice it lengthwise, place each half on a plate. Instruct him to "dress" the romaine heart.
Carefully turn the (ok, yes, it's probably hummous. But not good hummous. Some kind of budget hippie hummous or something. How it got into your cupboard labeled "falafel" is a total mystery) hummmous balls. Carefully, because the little fuckers want to fall apart.
Note that squant seems to be making pretty good headway against the romaine halves. He's squeezed half a lemon over each, and sprinkled some sea salt. A dollop of good olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and they are looking kind of fancy and stuff. Be impressed with his manly ropmaine heart mastery as you prepare to slip the fried hummous balls into the tiny little pita halves.
Serve with a small puddle of humous, drizzled with a little bit of the good olive oil and some Tapatio. Store the rest of the beige goop in the fridge for the next time. While eating, point out those attributes that make the balls look more like falafel than hummous.
The Verdict
As we are finishing up the meal...
Squant "That container in the fridge..."
Me "You're not wasting any time, are you?"
Squant "Sorry."
Squant "My belly is making sounds."
Me "Gurgling, like?"
Squant "More like clanging and whirring and a warning sort of beeping."
Me "So you're saying... you didn't really like the fried hummous balls."
Squant "Sorry. I don't mean to harp."
