A Foray in Fried Food: Adventures in Falafel

Growing up in the land of hot dishes and deep fried delicacies gave me profound appreciation for rich, heavy foods. Many of my favorite dishes involve ample amounts of cheese, butter, potatoes and carbs. As a  born and raised Minnesotan, it seemed inevitable that I would one day try my hand at frying food. Today was that day. While I love me a good plate of onion rings or a nice boat of cheese curds, I opted for a something not expected from the State Fair. Instead of making something from the Midwest, I made something from the Middle East: Falafel! Tasty, light, and 100% VEGAN!

I’ve been craving these delicious chickpea fritters for quite sometime, and I’m pleased as punch that I finally took the plunge and whipped some up with my friend Victoria! Having never fried anything before, cooking was not without a few minor bumps and set backs, but as Julia Child once said, “No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize!” There were a couple “testers” that flopped, but the end result was fantastic, well worth it and much easier than originally anticipated. If you’ve never plopped anything in a rolling pot of oil, you are missing out. There is something strangely satisfying about watching something bubble and boil until its outsides are crispy and brown. As it turns out, this is also not as bad for your health as you may have thought! A recent article from BBC says that experts found no heightened risk of heart disease or premature death linked to food that had been fried using olive or sunflower oil! Awesome.

Per usual, I created my own recipe using a combination of different suggestions found via google. My two main sources were about.com and foodnetwork, helped along with my personal experiences of successful falafel tastings. Victoria and were quite pleased with the results. We served our falafel with a simple couscous salad (recipe below), but they can also be enjoyed in a warm pita with cucumbers, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Without further ado…

Falafel and Couscous Salad

INGREDIENTS:

100% VEGAN!

2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1 tsp. baking powder

1 medium sized onion, coarsely chopped

5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 T. tahini

1 T. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

5-7 T. all-purpose flour

Olive or sunflower oil for frying

WHAT TO DO:

1) GRIND UP ON IT: Using either a food processor or a medium sized bowl and an immersion blender, grind up the chickpeas. Don’t go crazy – a few lumps should remain, but make sure there are no whole chickpeas left.

2) MIX, AND KEEP ON GRINDIN: Add in the baking powder, onion, garlic, tahini, spices, and herbs, then keep on keepin on. Blend until a thick paste is formed, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. A few chunks here and there are kinda nice in my opinion, but make sure the spices and flour are evenly incorporated.

3) COOL DOWN AND HEAT UP: Put the mixture in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes. The cooler it is, the better it will stick together while frying. At the same time, start heating up about 3 inches of oil in a small pot or deep frying pan. It should be around 375° F (190° C), but if you don’t have a cooking thermometer, “medium-high” should suffice.

4) FRY THAT SHIT: Form the batter into ping-pong size balls, and carefully plop them into the hot oil making sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Fry, turning as needed until they’re crispy and golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain off excess oil, and let dry slightly on a plate lined with paper towels.

5) IMPORTANT FRYING TIPS:

• Do a test run! Before sacrificing precious batter, try frying just one at first. This will give you a chance to test the temperature of the oil and the consistency of the batter.
• If a strange bubble forms at the top of the falafel, the oil may not be hot enough, or the dough not cool enough.
• If the ball falls apart while frying, add a little more flour to the batter to thicken it up.
• Don’t crowd the balls! They need some space to get nice and brown on all sides, plus it will be easier to scoop them out with out damage if you have some space to move around!
• Make sure the oil is deep enough. If the falafel isn’t fully submerged, it won’t brown properly on all sides!

6) EAT AND BE HAPPY: As I mentioned above, falafel can be served a number of different ways. No matter how you eat it, though, falafel is sure to put a smile on your face, and happiness in your stomach. Unless you messed up and give yourself food poisoning.

LEMON THYME COUSCOUS SALAD À LA VICTORIA MEADER

INGREDIENTS:

ALSO 100% VEGAN!

1 cup couscous

1 cup water

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Salt

Pepper

1/2 medium onion, diced

3 medium size tomatoes, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

WHAT TO DO:

1) COOK THE COUSCOUS: Instructions on your preferred brand of couscous may vary, but generally speaking here’s what you do. Bring a cup of water and a dash of salt to a boil over high heat. Once the water is nice and bubbly, remove from the burner, add the couscous, stir, and cover. It should be ready in 4 or 5 minutes.

2) GIVE IT SOME FLAVA: After fluffing the couscous with a fork, add the oil, lemon juice, thyme, and garlic and give it a nice stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

3) MIX IN SOME VEGGIES: Enough said.

4) EAT HOT OR COLD: Simple as that! It serves wonderfully as a bed for the falafel, but is definitely just as good on it’s own.

Happy Middle Eastern dining! XOXO

If we ever meat again…

So. It finally happened. This past Sunday, after exactly 4 years of vegetarianism, I ate meat. When I decided to come to France for an entire year, I figured it would be inevitable since regional cuisine is heavily meat based. I knew sooner or later I would be asked to try a meaty French delicacy, or invited to dine at someone’s house where the main dish wouldn’t consist of vegetables or tofu. Not wanting to be rude or a pain in the ass, I vowed that I would suck it up and eat whatever was served (somewhat similar to my friend Liz’s new found eating habits). Also, the only thing that bothers me more than eating meat is wasting it. If time, money, effort and most importantly environmental resources have been put into the product, it should be consumed. So. All summer long, I kept telling myself that I should prepare myself by reintroducing meat to my body so that I could avoid stressing out my stomach over seas, but I was never able to bring myself to do it. No need to run ahead, I thought, I’ll wait and cross that bridge when I happen upon it.

I’ve been able to uphold my ethical and environmental values for almost an entire month in this meat loving culture thanks to two reasons: 1) Most of my food has been self-prepared up to this point, so no worries there. 2) Living so close to the coast almost always ensures that there will be some sort of fish served at any given restaurant. Again, no problemo.

Sunday was a different case. One of the English teachers at the lycée, Agnès, invited Phelecia and me to her house for lunch and an afternoon on the coast. She is literally one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I was thrilled to have a chance to hang out with her and her family. The invitation was presented to Phelecia and later passed along to me, which left me with no real opportunity to mention that I’m a vegetarian. Oh well, I thought, and just hoped for the best. My wishful thinking mostly paid off. Most of the meal was meat-free, with the exception of the main dish – a ham and cheese quiche. Vegetarian, no, but definitely better than being served a steak or foie gras.

Later that night, I kind of felt like my stomach was going to explode. Like, seriously explode. I of course assumed it was due to the ham, but looking back on things, two other factors probably contributed to my indigestion:

First of all, I ate way more food than I normally would because “traditional” French meals are served in series of courses. It is drawn out over a few hours, so you never realize what you’ve consumed until after the damage is done. You begin with apéro which consists of booze and finger foods. Since you aren’t given an actual “serving,” you just keep nibbling on salty snacks and veggies until every one is done with their drink. Then comes the main dish, which is typically rich and savory and served with at least two glasses of wine. This is followed by salad, to help with digestion, only to be succeeded by an elaborate cheese and bread tray. Even though you think you couldn’t possibly stretch your stomach any further, there is usually desert and coffee  that are difficult to turn down. So you give in. You take the plunge and profit, because after all, you’re in France. I still can’t figure out how everyone here doesn’t weigh 5082340 pounds with these eating habits. Unbelievable.

Factor two: motion sickness. After the elaborate meal, we all took a little trip to the nearby town of Binic to take a stroll along the coast. Obviously a beautiful thing, but some of the beauty is lost when you have to get there in a stick-shift via roller-coaster roads and excessive roundabouts. I’m not typically one to get motion sickness, but there is just something about sitting shotgun in French cars that makes me wanna VOM. Shift JERK shift smooth JERK shift smooth shift shift jerk JERK vomtown! Hopefully I’ll get used to it? If not, I’m content with walking and using public transit.

So whether it was the meat, the overeating, the motion sickness, or a combination of all three that made me feel so awful, I can’t be sure. But. Meat will continue to be consumed only on an as-needed basis.

Aside from the meat-mishap, life has been rather average, but generally good. My schedule is pretty baller. As I mentioned to many of you before, I only work 12 hours a week. To make things even better, my hours have been moved around so that I only work Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, which means Wednesday and Thursday are like a second weekend every week! SO good.

I’ve also been feeling more and more comfortable teaching with each class, and actually got some really good feedback today. One of the teachers I’m working with told me that her students were really excited when they came back from their session with me, and that they felt like they actually learned something! Say what?! Success! Hoping things will continue on this positive slope. I’m also JAZZED that I will sooooooon have met with all of my groups at least once. This means I will finally be able stop introducing myself – praise be! I cannot tell you how sick I am of repeating my name, talking about Minnesota weather, and answering questions like, “Why do you come in France?” (that’s what she said?), “What is sello (cello)?” and, “Do you have a girlfriend?” (ha). Only a couple more groups to meet!

Well, that’s about it for now mes amis! Until next time, bisous! xoxoxoxo