Fresh Falafel

Homemade falafel is awesome! I've always wanted to try it, but I never got around to soaking chickpeas overnight. (Canned chickpeas don't work - too soft.) As long as you have the forsite to start this a day in advance, and prep at least an hour before you want to eat them, it's not very difficult. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy and flavorful on the inside and they're great in a pita or on top of a salad. They also freeze really well, so next time I'm doubling the recipe and freezing half. I used Ottolenghi's recipe as a starting point.

Feel free to boost the onion, garlic, herbs and spices if you want a stronger flavor.

Fluffy Hummus

This was the lightest, fluffiest hummus I've ever made, and possibly ever had. The caveat is that it's a pain in the butt to get it that way. I read that if you peel the chickpeas (that's right, each and every individual canned chickpea) the consistency would be dramatically lighter. Somewhat unfortunately, that is exactly right. I stood in my kitchen for about 15 minutes popping the little translucent skins off the chickpeas and it was not fun. Would have been better to do it in front of the TV or something. Then I made the hummus, half hoping it would be the same so I'd never have to do it again, and half hoping it would be cloudlike and fluffy to justify my labor. It was the latter. Not sure this will be my moda operandi for casual hummus making, but maybe if I plan ahead. I'd also like to try it with the food mill since it works to get the skin off tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
1 garlic clove
juice of half a lemon
big pinch of cayenne pepper
big pinch of cumin
a few tbsp of water
a few tbsp of olive oil
salt to taste

hummus

Pretty much every deli, drug store, and street vendor now has hummus readily available, and while I do enjoy a nice thing of Sabra, nothing beats homemade. I've been making hummus for years and it's easy, cheap, and tasty - but I recently found the secret to making it fluffy, and not heavy like homemade hummus can be. It's super easy - water. Instead of just pouring in the olive oil until you having a smooth hummus, I start w/ several tablespoons of water, then supplement with some good extra virgin olive oil. It's lighter, fluffier, and healthier. Below is the breakdown. I just made some for the office so we can have a nice Friday afternoon snack. Janet kindly brought in some pita chips - thanks Janet!

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
quarter or half a lemon to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
several tbsp water
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt

Directions:
Put garlic, chickpeas, tahini and water in a blender and blend. Add lemon juice and salt to taste, along w/ enough olive oil to make it smooth. Add salt/lemon juice as needed and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and blend until smooth.

For roasted red pepper hummus, start w/ roasted red peppers, blend them, then add the rest but don't use as much water - the peppers add a lot of moisture. I also like adding a little chopped basil to the roasted red pepper hummus. It's not a classic hummus, but it's a nice change.