Falafel

Just the mix

Test Batch

Finished Product

So the falafel turned out great.  My Persian boss was impressed. And it was a big hit at the dinner party.  I am pleased.

Falafel

Recipe from  Middle Eastern Cooking by Jenny Ridgwell

Serves 4-6

1lb chick-peas, soaked overnight
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
1 medium onion
4 spring onions, very finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
oil for deep frying

Drain the chick-peas.  to make the chick-peas easier to grind, remove the skins by rubbing with a tea-towel.  Mince the chick-peas or grind in a processor, then add the remaining ingredients and work to a smooth paste.  Leave to rest for 30  minutes.

With wet hands, shape a dessertspoon of the mixture into a patty, 1 1/2 inch round.

Heat the oil & deep-fry the falafel until golden brown.  Drain on kitchen paper.  Serve hot or place inside pita bread with some lettuce, a squeeze of lemon juice & some Tahini sauce.

Tahini Sauce

1/4 pint tahini
3-4 tbs water
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsely
salt, freshly ground pepper

Mix the tahini to a smooth paste w/the water, then blend in the lemon juice & other ingredients.

Hot dogs, hot dogs & more hot dogs

Minor league baseball is in full swing.  [ba dum bump. I'll be here all week...don't forget to tip your waitress on the way out]  And I am sick to death of hot dogs.  I can't stand the sight of them.  Yesterday, we did 3000 of them.  There were 2 picnics, one for over 2000 people.  It was insane.  We cooked almost 400 hamburgers, 2 cases of Italian sausages, 15 lbs of bbq [NC style], 3 combo samplers [chicken wings & tenders], a spicy shrimp & catfish combo, & made a garden vegetable platter & cheese & veggie platter.  Team meals were chicken parmesan, noodles and garlic bread for the home team & pork loin [4 of them], roasted potatoes & green beans for the visitors.  We kept the hots dogs in the Crescor and then the interns & runners wrapped 1400 to start with & then did more as needed, up until 9pm.  It was controlled chaos from 1-9.  Fortunately, Friday's picnics are only 500 & 200.

Menu Planning

I've begun planning the menu for August already.  I'm pretty excited about the start of the  new school year.  I am hopeful that it will go well & the learning curve won't be too steep, as I take over the reins!