Homemade Falafel and Pitas

I've been in a bit of a funk lately with dinner, so when someone posted a falafel recipe on a blog I watch, I decided I wanted to make some. I just love that stuff. I modified the recipe, so in order to remember what I did, I'm going to write it down. Matt said it was the best falafel and pita I've ever made. Boom.

Falafel: makes enough to stuff about 3 full pita rounds (6 halves cut open)
1/2 C dried bread crumbs
handful flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp (just shook it in?) turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 lg. egg
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp olive oil

Place everything in a food processor; process mixture until smooth. Divide mixture into 16-18 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Heat additional olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties, and cook until patties are browned on both sides. I had to add oil every time I put a new batch in the pan.

Salad with a dill sauce: (I know falafel is usually served with cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, but I didn't have cucumbers nor did I have tahini. This worked out really well and complimented the falafel well)
Romaine Lettuce, chopped thinly
2 Tbsp (ish) mayo
3 Tbsp (ish) sour cream thinned with milk to a yogurt consistency*
a generous amount of dried dill
a splash or two of lemon juice

Mix it all together.

*Or just use plain yogurt! I just didn't have any on hand.

Pitas: Makes 8 whole pita rounds. I've made these 3-4 times now and I have vowed to never buy store pitas again. They are soooooo much better! The original recipe is here.

Ingredients
1 1/8 C. warm water (about 110*)
3 C. AP Flour
1 tsp salt (I always use kosher in baking)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1. Preheat oven to 500*.  Place all ingredients in bread pan of bread machine, select Dough setting and start. Move on to step 2 after machine beeps and is done.

2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surgace. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife or dough cutter, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-7 in. circle. Set aside on a lightly floured counterop and cover with a tea towel until you put it in the oven.

3. Place 2-3 pitas on a wire cookie cooling rack. Place rack directly on the oven rack. Bake 4-5 min. until puffed and top is beginning to brown.

4. Remove from oven and immediately place on a plate and put a damp kitchen towel over them until soft. Onve pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge to fill the pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Glorious. Stuff the halved pitas with the salad a falafel and enjoy!

A better burger bun

I've made buns before, but I tried a new recipe today (see a trend?) and it was FABULOUS. It's pretty much a King Arthur's Beautiful Burger Bun recipe, but I used bread flour instead of All Purpose. Oh, and since I didn't have instant yeast I proofed mine in warm water with the sugar. The result was super delicious.

A better burger bun- 8 buns

3/4 C. water
2 Tbsp butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 C. bread flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp yeast

Directions

1. If using active dry yeast, proof it in the water with the sugar and add the rest of the ingredients after it bubbles. If using instant yeast, just add all the ingredients at the same time.
2. Knead by hand or mixer. (If using a mixer, know mine was a stickier dough and did not clear the sides of the bowl. I had to scrape it down a couple times.) Form it into a ball if it isn't already.
3. Place it in a greased (I used spray) bowl and cover it for 1 hour or until double.
4. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a 1"(ish) thick and about 3 in. across.
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise 30-60 min. or until very puffy.
   
6. Lightly brush with an egg wash.
7. Bake at 375* for 12-15 min. or until golden.

A better flour tortilla

I have used the same tortilla recipe for about 8 years now, but I've always felt they lacked in the texture department. After having fresh tortillas in the store that had great texture but horrible taste, I set out to find a better tortilla recipe. I ended up mixing my original recipe with a recipe I found online (can't find it now or I'd link it).

I've made these a couple times with minor variations in cooking technique, but tonight's tortillas were the best so I'm set to type it up now. =)

Flour Tortillas-makes 8 large tortillas
Ingredients:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt (I'm sure regular salt works fine, but I always cook with kosher)
1/4 C vegetable shortening

3/4 C warm milk

Directions:

1. Mix together first 4 ingredients, cutting in the shortening with a pastry cutter or two knives or forks.
2. Add the warm milk a little at a time until completely incorporated.
3. Flour a workspace and dump out dough. It'll probably be a little sticky, so flour your hands and have a little extra flour on the side. Hand kneed the dough for about 5 min.
   
4. Put in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let it sit for about 15-20 min. If it's too tough or rubbery, let it sit a few more min.
5. After 20 min. cut the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll these pieces into balls.* Flatten into a disk and roll into tortillas. It's okay if they're not quite as large as you want them. Cover and let sit another 5-10 min.**
   
6. Warm up a cast iron skillet (or a non-stick pan, but honestly, they cook better on cast iron) Keep it dry-don't add oil or anything. Once the pan is nice and hot, slap your tortillas on about 30 seconds on each side (more or less depending on how hot your pan really is). If your pan is hot enough, they'll start to puff up and get big bubbles. Keep the cooked ones warm under a clean kitchen towel until you're ready to eat. them

*If you used a stand mixer to knead, you may need to let them sit for another 10 min. at this point. If your dough is ever too elastic or rubbery, just let it sit a bit longer to relax.
**I have stacked them in between pieces of wax paper and put them in a ziploc in the fridge for a couple hours. It worked just fine after sitting a couple hours, but the next day the final product was a little brittle and not quite chewy.

Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna

I whipped this up last night on the fly. Nothing too fancy, but it was good.

Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna-8X8 pan so about 4-6 servings
1 small container ricotta cheese
1/2-1 can artichoke hearts
a couple good handfuls of fresh spinach (2 cups?), chopped thinly
a couple handfuls of shredded mozzarella (plus some to top)
some fresh parmesan (if you have it)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
fresh nutmeg to taste (I grate it on the small side of my cheese grater.)
fresh ground pepper to taste
salt to taste
Red sauce
1 egg

8-9 lasagna noodles, depending on the type you use

Directions

1. Combine all filling ingredients except the egg. I don't pre-cook the spinach. I always add the egg last so I can actually do my spices "to taste". Add the egg and mix well.
2. If you're using the noodles you pre-cook, you only need 8 noodles because you'll have to cut off the long end to fit the pan. I just used the pieces I cut off to make up the last noodle. So, cook or don't cook the noodles, depending on the type.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, place 3 noodles on the bottom. Spread a layer of filling, sauce, 3 more noodles, repeat till you've used it all up. End with noodles, sauce and top with the reserved mozzarella.
4. Cook for 30-40 min. on 350* covered and then uncover another 10 min. or so to brown the cheese on top.
   

Ideas for vegetable packed main dishes

A friend asked for some help coming up with veggie packed main dishes that her kids would eat.

Here are some of my favorites:

Veggie packed chili:
Chop an assortment of veggies into smallish cubes (carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, corn, hominy)

Saute the veggies until tender (add zucchini a little later than the others since it cooks quickly) and add to canned chili or homemade chili. I have a recipe for homemade if you want that.

Broccoli, Cheese and Rice dish (serves 6-8 as side or 3-4 main)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen, chopped broccoli (or equivalent fresh broccoli, chopped)
1 (7 oz) box long grain and wild rice mix
1 Tbsp butter
salt to taste
2 Tbsp. flour
1 C. evaporated milk
1 C. cheddar cheese
*You can also add cooked chicken to make it heartier...*

Lightly coat a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. If using frozen broccoli, microwave for 5 min. and drain. If using fresh, just chop it up. Add to baking dish. Prepare rice according to package. Add to baking dish. Suate onion and add to dish. Melt butter in the onion pan and stir in salt and flour. Add milk gradually, stirring to mix well. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 min. Take off heat and stir in cheese until melted. Add cheese sauce to dish and stir. Bake at 350 for 30 min.


Chicken and Broccoli Braid
This is good, though I don't always add the dill. You can change the chicken to broccoli ratio so there is more broccoli and less chicken. You can also use pizza dough if you don't want to use the crescents. I have another variation that uses cream cheese and you roll them into individual bundles if anyone's interested.


Summery Baked Tomatoes
While I've never tried this, I just saw it today and it looks delicious.

Taco Salad (a suggestion, but if you need a recipe, ask) or Something like Cafe Rio Salad


Cold Tortellini Salad-serves 8
16 oz cheese tortellini, cooked to al dente, drain and rinse

Optional additions:
1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 can pitted black olives
Your choice of type and amount of chopped: broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, red or green onion, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, feta, or parm. cheese

Dressing:
1/4 c. olive oil
3/4 C. balsamic vinegar
garlic salt to taste

Add veggies and cheese to cooked pasta. Combine dressing ingredients and mix into salad. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss again before you serve to see if you need to add a bit more dressing.


Cold veggie pizza

Easy Bean and Rice burritos with Veggie add ins

Vegetable Quesadillas - serves 2-3
1 Zucchini, cubed
1/2 Onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 garlic clove pressed or diced
fresh lime juice from 1 lime
Taco seasoning packet (not necessarily the whole thing...I just make my own concoction, so I don't know how much you'd need of this...to taste) or your own mixture of chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and salt
Cheese (mozz. is low fat but not high flavor. I don't mind using it. You can use a mexican blend, asedero cheese, cheddar or Colby or Monterrey jack. Whatever you love.)
Large flour tortillas (I use burrito sized, but soft taco sized would work for kids)
A drizzle of oil to saute veggies

Directions:
Saute the onion and bell pepper. Just before they are tender, add in the zucchini and garlic. Sprinkle seasonings and lime over the top, adding a little more oil if necessary. Season with salt to taste. Take off the burner.

Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, top with veggies, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Fold over and cook on a cast iron pan (med. heat) until cheese melts and tortilla's toasty.

Shredded zucchini and egg:
Shred zucchini and saute. Pour scrambled eggs over top and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover to help melt. Serve with veggie sides and rolls or bread.

June Daring Baker: Bakewell Tart/Pudding

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

I'd never heard of this, but was excited to make it since the hosts' pictures looked so tantalizing. I as I was making it, I thought it was going to turn out perfectly. By the picture you can tell that it didn't quite turn out perfectly!

When it finished cooking I thought back to where I went wrong since the top got a little too brown and the frangipane was the wrong consistency (and the middle was not quite done). As I thought about it, I realized I did a few things wrong:

1. The pie pan I thought was 9" was really larger...9 1/2 or 10 in. Oops.
2. I totally forgot to put the flour in the frangipane! My 18 mo. old was "helping" me cook, and I just got too distracted. Plus I can always use my "I'm 9 mo. pregnant!" excuse since pregnancy seems to make me very forgetful in the kitchen.
3. My crust seemed waaaayyy too dry after adding the amount of water in the recipe, so I added an extra Tbsp. I think that made it too wet. It didn't taste bad, I think it's just not quite what it should have been.
   
4. I rolled the shortening crust a little too thin since my pan was too big.
   

Despite my errors, the taste of this was actually quite good. It got pretty brown (though it didn't taste burned), so next time I think I'll check and cover it the last 10 min. if needed. Also, I think doing smaller tartlets (like Audax's) would help with the middle not being done...

I made some low sugar blueberry jam. I just used the Ball no-sugar pectin recipe and added 1 cup of sugar to the whole batch. It worked nicely. I think a tarter jam could have worked well too. Cranberry, apricot, etc. I wouldn't mind trying it again, especially if I were to do mini-tartlets. I think that would be quite nice.


Bakewell Tart...er...Pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability (My homemade stuff didn't need any warming)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

White Chocolate Blondies with Goodies

I got the base of the recipe from Picky Palate's White Chocolate Butterfinger Blondies, but I made a number of modifications since I didn't have butterfingers on hand! I made these for a funeral today and one of the people in charge of the food hounded me until I got her the recipe! I was in such a rush to get them to the church on time, I didn't get a picture. Matt said he really liked them too.

White Chocolate Blondies with Goodies
1/2 C. butter
1 1/2 C. white chocolate chips

1 C. white sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
2 C. flour (I used 1 C. wheat and 1 C. white with good results)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 C. coconut
3/4 C. chopped walnuts

4 eggs
4 Tbsp sour cream

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350* F
2. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Stir in white chips until melted and smooth. You may have to nuke it a little after you add the chips to help them melt.
3. In a large bowl add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and sour cream. Pour into the dry ingredients along with the melted white chip mixture. Mix until just combined. Incorporate the semi-sweet chips, coconut, and walnuts.
4. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish lined with foil that's been sprayed with cooking spray (for easy clean up. You don't have to do that. Just remember to spray your dish regardless.).
5. Bake for 30-35 min. or until toothpick comes clean from center. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool before cutting.