Homemade falafel, extra-spicy, all for me
This falafel recipe hails from epicurious.com and was originally from cookbook author Joan Nathan. In a pinch, you can substitute drained canned chickpeas for the soaked, dried ones called for in the recipe. But the soaked beans result in a better-textured falafel.
Every year, sometime around the last weekend of April, my family leaves.
My husband and his best friend journey to the East Coast on a birdwatching trip. Because his mother lives en route, the kids go with him and visit Camp Grandma for the week, complete with a bunch of rowdy cousins, newto-them toys, and I’m sure more treats and television than I care to know about.
And me? I’m left all by myself at home. If you’re a parent, you know who is getting the sweetest end of this deal.
I always have grand plans to take a road trip or clean out the basement. None of those things usually happens, but I do spend a week free of feeding people other than myself, searching endlessly for missing shoes and feeling guilty if I have to work late.
This year, I managed to declutter one closet, get a massage, go for several runs, drink a couple of Manhattans, see a movie and clean out the refrigerator. I also got to cook and eat whatever I wanted, without trying to guess which child was going to reject the meal.
If I’m cooking whatever I want, my default style is usually Indian or Middle Eastern. This week I fried up a batch of falafel, which brought me back to my college days, eating late-night falafel wraps at the vegetarian snack bar, the Ivy Room. And because I was the only one eating it, you better believe I added the full amount of crushed red pepper.
You can serve this traditionally on pita with veggies and a tahini sauce, or just add it to chopped veggies and extra parsley. No tahini? Try plain yogurt with a little olive oil and salt. You’re on vacation — do whatever you want!