Dinner #5 - Falafel

One of the requests N. has made for meals is that they be vegetarian on occasion. I grew up in a house where, though we ate many vegetables, a carnivorous main was almost always present, so it’s a bit of a change to be thinking outside of the “meat at dinner” box. Thankfully, I think being a college student has helped me in the vegetarian sphere, as meat is often more expensive (and requires more careful cooking) than other foods, and is thus more often excluded from daily cooking. I do, however, want all of my meals to be relatively interesting, and I want to vary the flavors that I use throughout the week. It seemed like a good a time as any to whip out falafel.

Falafel, for me, is a bit of a sentimental food. I remember my first falafel at Hebrew school when I was in third grade. We were celebrating something... who knows what Jewish holiday it actually was, but someone’s mother had decided to make falafel for the occasion. I sat outside in the courtyard with my friend Zoe, amidst a throng of other children as we ate the hot, dark brown patties.
I remember falafel being confusing. My first bite was tentative, and I only tasted the deep-fried exterior exuding just a hint of spice. But underneath the crusty shell was a yellow interior flecked with hundreds of tiny bits of green. I had no idea what I was eating. “What is this?” I asked Zoe, who had eaten falafel before. “It’s falafel,” she said. “No, I know that,” I said impatiently. “I mean, what is it?” “It’s Jewish food,” she said, “Duh!”

I decided one falafel was enough until my confusion was alleviated.

Though I now understand how to make falafel, it still fascinates me that something relatively simple to make (chickpeas, onion, water, spices, oil) tastes so complex and is substantial enough to almost seem meaty. Wrapped in pita with lettuce, Israeli salad and hummus or Raita (yogurt sauce), falafel makes an incredibly satisfying and completely vegetarian meal (or vegan, with the omission of the yogurt).

This dinner consisted of:

Pita
Falafel
Lettuce
Israeli salad
Hummus
Raita
Carrot salad
Orange Honeydew melon

In making a falafel sandwich, I usually wrap the pita in foil and heat it in a 300˚F oven for 5-10 minutes, just until it is warm. I then cut each pita in half along its diameter to make pockets for filling. A lettuce leaf or two lines the inside of the pita (this not only ensures lettuce in nearly every bite, but keeps the sauces and juices from the vegetables from leaking through the bread). I usually place 3-4 falafel in my pita, depending on their size (and how hungry I am). The sandwich is finished with a heaping spoonful of Israeli salad and a generous drizzle of hummus and Raita. I made the carrot salad on the fly as a side, but the flavors would probably also work in the sandwich if you were feeling ambitious (though I don’t think the sandwich needs anything else).

Recipes to be posted soon! And AGAIN I forgot my camera; I took a couple of pictures on my phone but don’t know how to begin to move them to my computer. So this may be another instance of using your imagination.