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.

Roasted Eggplant with Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce and Pomegranate

My friend Alice got me Ottolenghi's Plenty cookbook for my birthday (thank you, Al!!). I couldn't wait to test it out. I made the roasted eggplant last weekend and it's delicious. The soft roasted eggplant is tangy and almost meaty tasting from the bits of char, and the buttermilk yogurt sauce, za'atar, and pomegranate are such a great mix of flavors. The sweetness of the pomegranate is really nice. We had this as a main because we had a huge lunch, but I think it would also be great as a side dish to some grilled meat. Also, very pretty presentation! 

The picture is also the cover of the book. So pretty.

Grilled Rack of Lamb

These lamb chops are fantastic! The flavors are so great, and it's really simple. I took the ingredients from this lamb rib recipe and converted it for a rack of lamb (basically just changing the cooking time/method). Can't wait to make it again. The vinegar baste adds a great tang, and I love pomegranate molasses with lamb for a sour sweetness. The sugar in the rub adds a crispy, flavorful crust when charred. It only needs an hour at room temperature to marinate in the spice rub, so it's a great weeknight dinner or pretty easy weekend dinner party meal. 

Ingredients:

1 rack lamb chops

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

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

Lamb Kofte with Yogurt Sauce and Muhammara

I wanted to make a healthy dinner as Jamie and I have been going out a lot lately (baseball games, concerts, etc). I can't complain, because we had an awesome weekend/week, but I wanted some veggies. I searched Epicurious for a healthy main course and this came up. Not so heavy on veggies, but I served it with a Greek salad at the end. It was super tasty and not too difficult. A little more labor intensive than a regular week night meal, but all in all it took about an hour, so not bad. And it was delicious! (So were the leftovers I had for lunch.) The yogurt sauce is mild, but a nice, cool accompaniment. I like the way the tahini makes the yogurt thicker and more earthy. The muhammara (first time making it) was really tasty. I'll probably add more red pepper flakes next time. And I would probably roast my own peppers - the jarred peppers make it a little acidic. Also, it made me buy pomegranate molasses which I can't wait to experiment with. It taste like a sour candy, and I love sour candies! I want to make drinks with it. More on that later! Here's the recipe for these tasty kofte and their delectable sauces.

Muhammara (from this recipe on Epicurious)

Babaganoush

After picking a fresh eggplant from the garden, I'd already tried grilling one, so I thought I'd make babaganoush - I love babaganoush and always order it at Middle Eastern restaurants. It's a very similar process to making hummus, but it has the great tang of eggplant. It definitely helps to have a fresh eggplant, so give all the eggplants at the grocery a little squeeze and be sure to pick the firmest, smaller eggplants are usually firmer, sweeter, less bitter...

I grilled the eggplant cut in half and cut hash marks on the skin side which helped it grill evenly and helped dry it out (you don't want watery babaganoush). It's really tasty and has a wonderful, smooth consistency. Serve with warm or toasted pita.

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1 glove garlic

juice of 1/2 a lemon