Chickpeas For Fall

 Is there anything more versatile than the simple chickpea?  Ir and its brine can be used in a number of differnt dishes from savory to sweet.This simple bean can be the star of the autumn table,

Mostly chickpeas are used in hummus with such summery flavors as basil and lemon.It can be remade for fall with the addition of sage or paprika. To have a pumpkin vibe sprinkle some toasted pumpkin or pepita seeds for decoration.It s usual for the spread to be served on pita bread but it can be toasted in an air fryer or grilled on a barbecue.Another great dish is falafel, fried chickpeas .Its usually made with yellow or white onions but chopped scallions also work. Use the last of th e summer s fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley for flavoring. You can add garlic if you want.If you're making  it for your tailgati g party, add a good pinch of cayenne pepper for some zing.Serve it with a minty tahini  dipping .sauce.

Chickpeas can have a sweet side too. Save their brine or aquafaba to make vegan meringues.These make for wonderful desserts, especially for brunches or get togethers.The cool fall weather is perfect for bak7ng meringues.They need chilly and no humidity to bake into crispy crackly rounds.Summer humidity turns the sweets into an icky taffy like goo.Keep in mind that the average bean also makes for some interesting treats. You can sub in chick pea flour for white,It has  more minerals and vitamins than the other.Like white flour it has a mild flavor that makes it more blendable with strong flavors as vanilla and chocolate.It can also be turned into a fudge popular in India and Pakestan.Cardomon adds spice to the sweet.

Chickpeas are usually consider a summer ingredient.However its perfect for fall  too.Try them in both savory and sweet dishes.

Falafel Your Way

 Falafel is one of those great Arab dishes that can be adapted to anyone's tastes. It's can be traditional or varied. It makes for not only a great dinner but for a good snack too.

Falafel has been around for centuries. Some same the Egyptian Copts brought it to the Middle East while India also claims to have created it. Another story has British officers asking Egyptian cooks to make a croquette in the 1800s.It's most like;y have been invented in Egypt during the Phraraonic period.It can be made with fava breans for a more authentic flavor or chickpeas. An easy recipe calls for chickpea, tahini sauce various herbs such a as fresh parsley , cilantro and dill. Garlic is needed for kick along with cumin, cayenne and coriander. Baking powder is needed to give an airy fluffiness. You can add sesame seed s to give it a certain nuttiness. Purists insist in using dried chickpeas  as opposed to canned however if this is too much use canned. Saved the liquid for aqua faba a vegan sub in for egg whites.If you go the dried chickpea route, then soak the beans for twenty-four hours before using. Put all the ingredients in a food processor to pulse.This mixture has to be chilled before frying.

What should falafel be fried in? You can use olive  - your best bet - v=canola, grape seed or sunflower oil. Using olive oil creates a thick, crusty  crunchy exterior that prevents oil from soaking into the middle.. Make smaller patties for snacking or hors' d'ouevres. Make bigger patties for sandwiches and wraps. Falael's recipe can be varied. Keep in mind that it can be baked and even air fried, the last being the easiest.It only takes a few minutes. They need to be flattened into discs more than shaped into balls for a more uniform cook. A fun idea is creating rainbow falafel. For deep purple used a purple baked potato which can be a fun change up. If you want to get creative for upcoming Valentine's Day make pink heart falafel. The pink color comes from the addition of beet root.Buttternut squash and a good dose of turmeric give a lovely golden orange color. Make all these colors for a fun appetizers. Serve with blistered pita bread that you can char on the grill or in the oven.

Falafel is an easy meal and snack to make. Create a dish full of Middle Eastern flavor. It's a nice change up for a week night or weekend dinner or treat.

The Truth About Fake Meat

Fake meat is now a big part of our lives. We're gobbling up the faux stuff more than the real. Yet there's so many out there. Which one is the best? Which one tastes like the real thing? It's time for a taste test.

Julia Moskin posed these questions and had a tasting table with fellow Food  section writers, Pete Wells and Melissa Clark, Also she employed her twelve year old vegetarian daughter and Ms Clark's burger loving one. Each burger was  seared with a teaspoon of canola oil and served on a potato bun. These  were eaten plain and then a second one with all the trimmings , from condiments to pickles and cheese. How did they rate? Impossible Burgers ranked number one with four and a half stars. Ms. Moskin's daughter thought it was real beef, slipped in to confuse the tasters.Ms. Clark though, thought the meat too dried out .It does contain a compound  - soy legheroglobin - created from plant hemoglobins - to create a bloody look. The second best Beyond Burger - which I've eaten and liked. This received four stars . It was deemed juicy with convincing texture with a lot of unami. This was from Melissa Clark. Her daughter however deemed them to have a smoky barbecue flavor , like those of barbecue potato chips. Even Pete Wells said it was a beefy experience.

What other faux burgers were good?Lightlife Burgers, out of Toronto , got four stars as well. It was considered firm and chewy thanks to it being made from a sturdy soy product called tempeh. The Uncut Burger was rated the meatiest of the whole bunch. It had a slightly chunky texture like good coarse= ground beef according to Ms. Moskin. Ms. Clark , on the other hand, felt the texture made the patty fall apart and similar to wet cardboard!. Mr. Wells deemed it bacony and smoke flavored. Then their is the artisanal Field Burger that claims "plant based artisanal meats". It has vegetal notes of onions, celery and three kinds of mushrooms, fresh , dried, and powdered. The crust had a likable crispness for Mr. Wells, but it does have a bready exterior thanks to the addition of gluten. The least favorite is Sweet Earth Veggie Burger with only two stars. It comes only in flavors so Ms. Moskin chose the Mediterranean style as the most neutral. Ms. Clark claimed it had a falafel flavor thanks to the abundance of chickpeas. It wasn't meaty tasting but nutty and grainy. It also has whiffs of cumin and ginger.

Which burger is the best? The one you like. Go with the faux burger that satisfies you with flavor and texture. That's what matters. Your tastes and preferences.

French Appetizers A Book Of Treats

Appetizers are usually the best part of a party or a meal. They're fun bites full of flavor. Even better are French ones, ripe with sophisticated flavors and ingredients. Now there's a new cookbook chock full of amuse bouches that will make any gathering a special event.

French Appetizers (Gibbs Smith Publishing 2019) was written by Marie Asselin, a famous food writer from Quebec who created the multi award winning  blogger Food Nouveau and author of Simply Citrus. In this latest book, she devotes all the recipes to apero,  a kind of gathering where bites and aperitifs are served.It's a French and French  Canadian gathering that translates into cocktails here in the States.It is an amazing book, with beautiful photographs by award winning food photographer Catherine Cote.It is divided into seven sections  such as Basics and Condiments , Breads, Sandwiches and Toasts and ends with Drinks. The book starts out with menu ideas.Ms. Asselin  has them listed from quick and easy which is a mix of homemade and store bought to the luxurious which can be made for birthdays, anniversaries and New Year's Eve. There's also a vegetarian version and dairy free one.There's even one for a park or beach apero as well as one for a large crowd. There is also good advice for planning a stress free apero with ideas as making recipes before hand and then freezing them, along with asking guests to help and always keeping staples on hand. The most important is planning and prepping ahead to allow for the most minimum work in the kitchen. After all, an apero is all about not just enjoying the food but also time spent with guests.

The recipes are amazing. Readers , especially Francophiles, will feel like kids in a candy store with this book. I love it. There's about two dozen recipes I am longing to try. There is a recipe for three kinds of tapenade, one with za'atar and green olives, along with black olive and lemon and sun dried tomato and basil. This is an easy recipe that anyone can make and serve on rounds of toasted French bread.The chicken and olive meatballs are another must try, as they would make excellent bites.She also takes traditionally sweet recipes and turns them into savory ones. Sweet buttery madeleines turn into a cheesy treat when Parmesan cheese and Tapenade replaces sugar. Another cookie  turned into a cracker is palmieres, those puffy puff pastry treats. Herbs, cheese and classic pistou, a tomato-y pesto.
Ms. Asselin's recipes aren't all French. There are also hummus and falafel recipes too,perfect with her savory shortbread sable cookies. A well rounded apero also has vegetables too and there are some mouth watering ones.Radish lovers will adore the veggie sauteed in bourbon and butter while vegans will go wild for eggplant caviar. There are also soup recipe such as the velvety cauliflower and apple veloute - a nice break from the nibbles. All aperos have a sweet ending and there are recipes for clafoutis bars and salted butter caramels. The drink recipes are for simple syrup and a kir cocktail.

French Appetizers is the must have book for hosts wanting to have this kind of get together. The recipes are delicious and varied. Perfect for the perfect apero.

Healthy Frying

Everyone, including your doctor, will tell you fried food is bad . Yet it can be made healthier which is great for those who love batter dipped morsels. sizzled to a golden brown.The trick is choosing the right ingredients  as well as the right oil.This does make a difference and will produce something that gets a doctor's or nutritionist's seal of approval -more or less.

Mark Bittman explored and experimented with this in his Flexitarian column in today's New York Times Dining section. He chose healthier ingredients, chickpeas for falafel as well as veggies for tempura and zucchini .He also selected  healthier oils such as peanut or olive oil as well as grape seed. You can use the usual ones for frying  such as corn or Wesson along with soy or vegetable. Diners and restaurants use these because of their low prices. I would go with the olive simply because it's the most healthiest and to be honest it's better for frying. It imparts a nicer flavor and is also more affordable than the fancier oils.

Mr. Bittman gives  good recommendations to creating the perfect fry. One is to allow the food's exterior to be the crisp part. Do not over fry otherwise it will be too hard and not appetizing. Another is picking a light dusting that suits the ingredients.Pick a light coating and use it sparingly. He suggests. corn meal,or flour  along with  the classic eggs,milk and then a dredging of breadcrumbs.The next step to the perfect batch is not overcrowding the pan. fry in batches if you have too many. Also serve hot  in order to get the best flavor. If not then keep warm in an oven or a toaster oven.
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Fried food is on almost everyone's no eat list. However if 's done  right it can be healthy and even tasty. Try a batch to enjoy that crunch and tasty deep fried flavor.