RECIPE: Falafel

This makes about 12-15 balls/patties of falafel, which is a big lunch or dinner for 2 people.

FALAFEL

1 can (15-16 oz) chickpeas/garbonzo beans (they're the same thing)
1 medium onion, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
2 Tbsp flour
Canola/peanut oil for frying

Put enough oil into a pot to fill the pot about 2 inches.

Drain the chickpeas and discard the liquid.

FOR SMOOTH:  Put everything in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

FOR CHUNKY: Put everything in a bowl and work with a potato masher until mostly smooth.

Shape into 1 - 1 1/2 inch balls (about ping pong ball size).  Slightly flatten them with your hand.

Heat the oil to 350F.  When the oil reaches that temperature, carefully drop in the falafel patties.  Fry about 6 at a time so the oil doesn't cool too much.  Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until the outside is brown and slightly crispy.  Drain on paper towels.

RECIPE: Apple Bundt Cake

There's a hole in this cake.....and it's pareve for those of you keeping kosher.  These being the high holy days, I thought something without either meat or milk might be appropriate.

APPLE BUNDT CAKE:

3 cups flour, with 1/4 cup reserved
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
1 Tbsp cinnamon (fresh ground if you can)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (fresh ground is far superior to the sawdust in a tin can)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced small (approx. 1/4 inch cubes)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil and flour a bundt pan and set aside.

Combine the flour, soda, and salt and set aside.  Remember to reserve 1/4 cup of the flour to the side.

Mix the oil, eggs, sugars, spices, and vanilla well.  Add the dried ingredients that you combined in 2 or 3 stages.  The batter will be very thick -- almost like a cookie dough.

Toss the apple cubes into the 1/4 cup flour you reserved at the beginning.  This will help keep the apples from all sinking to the bottom of the pan while the cake cooks.  Gently stir/fold the apple cubes and dried cranberries/raising (if using them) into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the bundt pan.  It will be way too thick to pour, so spooning is the way to go.  Gently smooth the top of the batter to level it somewhat.

Bake for 75 minutes (1 hour 15 minutes) or until a toothpick/skewer inserted halfway into the ring comes out clean.  Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

This also makes a good breakfast the next morning with a cup of hot coffee.

RECIPE: Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES

2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (chips is fine)
4 oz (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pecan halves (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line an 8 inch square baking dish (preferably metal, not glass) with parchment paper.

In a small pan, boil a small amount of water, and then turn the heat to low to hold it at a simmer.  Put the chocolate in a metal mixing bowl that is larger than the pan.  Put the chocolate-laden bowl OVER the pan. (You're essentially making a double boiler.)  You do not want the bottom of the bowl to touch the water.   This will melt the chocolate gently and keep it from burning, and there isn't much in the world worse than burned chocolate. Stir the chocolate until melted, then remove the bowl from the water and discard the water.  Allow the chocolate to cool.

In another bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until well mixed and smooth.  Add the eggs and the vanilla, and beat again until well incorporated.  Once the chocolate has cooled, add it to the peanut butter mixture and beat until will mixed.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and add in 3 installments to the chocolate mixture, mixing well.  THE FINAL MIXTURE WILL BE VERY THICK.  Add the pecans, if using them.

Smear (the batter will be too thick to really pour) the batter into the pan, using a rubber spatula dipped in water to smooth and get the batter into the corners of the pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool before removing from the pan.  Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream or cool with whipped cream or ice cream or just dig in and consume mass quantities.

RECIPE: Latin-flavored Kasha

Kasha is buckwheat.  It can be found in the kosher/ethnic section of the supermarket.  If you can't find kasha, you can substitute cooked rice (brown or white).

RECIPE: LATIN-FLAVORED KASHA

1 link (approx 1/4-1/3 lb) chorizo sausage
1 small bell pepper, diced (approx 1/2 cup)
1 ear of corn or 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup dry kasha (buckwheat)
1 egg white
1 cup hot (boiling, if possible) water

In a sauté pan, brown the chorizo over medium heat.  If the sausage is firm and in a casing, chop it roughly and cook it in the pan.  If soft in a casing, just remove the casing (the easy way is to just squeeze it like toothpaste into the pan).  If loose, just add it to the pan.  When the sausage is almost done, add the bell pepper, leaving the heat at medium.

If using an ear of corn, use a chef's knife to remove the kernels from the ear.  When the pepper is softened, add it to the sauté pan.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the kasha and the egg white.  You want the individual pieces of kasha to be coated in egg.  It will most likely stick in one large clump.  Once the corn has cooked for a couple of minutes, add the kasha.  Stir with a rubber spatula constantly until the individual pieces of kasha separate and the clump is no longer evident.

Add the water and tightly cover, leaving the heat at medium.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir the kasha to "fluff" it.  Serve warm as an entree or side dish, or serve chilled as a salad.

**For a vegetarian option, omit the sausage, but add 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp of cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt.**

Review: Addy's Restaurant, Cleveland, OH

In downtown Cleveland, OH, near the city hall and federal buildings, and not far from the trendy places to eat, is a little family-owned diner.  Addy's Restaurant (99 St. Claire Ave NE, Cleveland, OH) may seem out of place near the Crowne Plaza and Ritz-Carlton and other high-end hotels and establishments, but it has been going strong for 6 years, and the people who work in the area know about it and will keep going back.

As soon as you walk in, you get the "mom and pop diner" feel.  There are several tables, and plenty of room between them.  i was quickly greeted by a waitress/hostess (who happened to be the daughter of the owner), was given a table, and a young man (her brother) quickly came and returned with coffee.  The coffee was not a dark roast, but this is not the kind of place you go if you want fancy coffee.

The breakfast menu is simple and brief -- various combinations of eggs, breakfast meats, hotcakes, etc...all standard breakfast fare.  The short menu may be in part due to the fact that orders are written down only for the servers; they are given only verbally to the cook.  I found this remarkably refreshing. W hile the orders were not passed back to the kitchen using any kind of colorful shorthand that you might see on old TV shows or movies, it was still entertaining to watch.

I ordered the "Grand Slam" breakfast -- 2 hotcakes, 2 eggs (scrambled, in my case), meat (bacon), and homefries.  The food came in a reasonable amount of time, not fast but not dawdling, but I saw that there was some minor work being finished up in the kitchen at the time.  I observed that other tables got food quickly, so I blame the very slight wait on the adjustments being made in the kitchen.

The food came, and it was a nice, big breakfast without being overwhelmingly big.  There was no offer of real maple syrup; the only offering was a corn syrup.  The food was generally undersalted, which is good from my point of view, since it lets me add as I like.  The eggs did not appear "pre-scrambled" from a large batch, there were streaks of white in them, and they were not overcooked in the slightest.  The bacon was perfectly crisped and flat from the use of a heavy and old-fashioned bacon press.  The potatoes were the weakest link, being a little bland for my taste.

Addy's has been in this location for 6 years, but this family has owned establishments at this address for almost 30.  The decor is simple and does not show that this is a long-time establishment.  Noise is not an issue; even as the room filled up, it was not appreciably loud.

The price was astonishingly low:  $6.98 for the breakfast and coffee.  This is the kind of place that makes its money by keeping things simple, getting food out quickly, and having a regular customer base.

All in all, if you're in the downtown Cleveland area and aren't in a "foody" mood, I'd strongly recommend Addy's Restaurant.  However, if you are looking for exquisite food, this would not be the place to go.  The service is friendly and fairly efficient, the food is simple and cheap, though a little tasteless in the case of the potatoes.  The price, though cannot easily be beat for a downtown establishment.

OVERALL RATING:  7.5 out of 10

Recipe: Buttery Flaky Biscuits

RECIPE:  BUTTERY FLAKY BISCUITS

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar or sugar substitute (Splenda, Stevia, etc).
4 tsp baking powder
1 stick (8 Tbsp) very cold butter butter
3/4 - 1 cup milk

I love biscuits.  I.   LOVE.  BISCUITS.

I grew up in Texas, and every family in the Deep South has a biscuit recipe, usually one that's never written down.  My grandmother had one.  This is NOT her recipe, but I think she'd be proud of it.  She'd especially like the bottoms of the biscuits, which basically fry in butter.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Mix the first 4 ingredients (the dry ingredients) into a medium mixing bowl.

Take a pastry cutter or a fork or what I use -- a box cheese grater-- and cut about 1/2 of the butter into the dry ingredients.  If using a grater, use the "medium holes."  If using a pastry cutter or fork, cut them together until it resembles corn meal and you can't see any large pieces of butter.  Now, cut the rest of the butter into the mixture, leaving pieces the size of large peas.  If using a grater, use the "slicer" side.

Add the milk and stir to combine.  You want a somewhat sticky, but not overly wet, dough.

Flour a work surface, and turn the dough out onto the surface.  Pat it out until roughly a rectangle.  Fold it over onto itself in thirds, as if you were folding a letter.

Now, take your rolling pin and roll it out into another rectangle about 1/2-3/4 inches thick.  Fold over onto itself in thirds again.  Roll out.  Fold over.  Roll out.  You want to fold over a total of 3 or 4 times, adding flour as necessary.  Roll out one final time to 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick.

Take your 2-inch biscuit cuter (usually the largest in a set), and cut out biscuits.  Pat the scraps together and fold the dough in half.  Roll it out again and cut more biscuits.  Continue until you run out of dough. You can also put scraps on the top of biscuits you've already cut as a decoration, if you wish.

Put the biscuits into a cast iron skillet or onto a cookie sheet lined either with a silicone baking pad or parchment paper.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are brown.  Serve hot for any meal you care to eat them with.

BAKED GROUND TURKEY EMPANADAS

The dough:

3 cups flour (whole wheat or unbleached all-purpose)
1 tsp salt
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) very cold butter
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg white
1 Tbsp vinegar (apple cider, champagne, or red wine)

The filling:

1 - 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1 tsp minced chilis (optional)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt (or 1 tsp each garlic powder and salt)
1 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheese (cheddar, etc.)

Other:

a little water
1 egg yolk

To make the dough, mix together the flour and salt, and then cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry cutter.  You want most of the big chunks to disappear into the flour.

Mix together the water, egg white, and vinegar.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until a very stiff and dry dough forms.  Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated.  It will be very dry and a little crumbly at this stage, but that's o.k.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it inside a zipper bag.  Put the dough into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.  This will allow the flour to soak up all the liquid and form a more stable dough.

To make the filling, brown the turkey, working it as it cooks to break it into small pieces.  Add the chilis and allow them to cook through.  Drain off any excess liquid, and put the turkey into a bowl.

Work the meat with a fork to further break it down into smaller pieces.  Add all of the spices, and mix with the fork.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Add the cheese, stirring to combine.

Retrieve the dough from the fridge, and cut it into 12 pieces (for 4-inch empanadas) or 24 pieces (for 2-inch empanadas).  Roll these into a ball in your hands.  Put a piece of parchment paper over your work surface and dust it very lightly with flour.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the first ball very thin until it is a little larger than the size that you're shooting for.  The dough will be about 1/8 inch thick in the end.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.

Cut the rolled-out dough into a circle.  For 2-inch empanadas, I'd recommend cutting the dough with a 2-inch biscuit cutter.  For the 4-inch, most mixing bowl sets come with the smallest bowl being about 4-inches across.  Use anything that you want, but you want something that you can push down through the dough.  A little twisting is fine, but you want to keep the round shape.

Now to fill the empanadas.  If you're using the smaller size, you won't be able to fit more than a tablespoon of filing in.  For the larger size, you can get 2-3 tablespoons.  Put some filling off to one side of the center of the round, not exactly in the center.  Now, dip a finger into some water (or use a pastry brush) and go around the edge of the dough.  You only need to go 1/2 way around.  Fold the dough over the filling so that the dry side touches the wet side, and pinch it to seal.

Repeat until you run out of either dough or filling.  If you wish for glossy-topped empanadas, mix the egg yolk with 1 tbsp water, and brush the tops of all the empanadas with it.  Cut a small slit in the top of each to allow steam to escape while cooking.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through.  Allow to cool slightly.  Serve warm with salsa or chili con queso.