I roast vegetables all the time. Rubbed with olive oil, salt and occasionally spices, they get cozy in the oven giving me time to consider how to serve them. They may keep a company to the meatballs or grilled fish as the thin arches of roasted fennel bulb my husband worships. Perhaps, they might become a spectacular meze like the whole, skin and all, roasted peppers I turn into the addictive muhammara. Roasted vegetables can suffice as a meal on its own calling only for a simple sauce or possibly an egg cracked on top if you are reheating the leftovers. And never, never underestimate the nourishing power of a creamy thick soup made with roasted roots.
Obscenely Wholesome Baked Falafel with Sprouted Chickpeas + Nettles
The first falafel I tried was from the hands of my mother-in-law to be. The small hot ball that emerged from a pan of peacefully sputtering oil revealed the big flavor of earthy cumin, bright herbs and nutty beans. I still wonder if it was the moment I took a bite when I decided that woman would become my mother-in-law.
“What is it?” I begged to know as if as my life depended on that knowledge. Aware of the effect her food made on me, she replied, “Falafel”. Mom was surely proud to showcase the Middle Eastern culinary heritage of her family, little known in this country outside of the South Eastern Turkey. This is how I met falafel: it was not a by-the-way packed with a lot of condiments in a pita pocket and shoveled up to satiate my appetite. Instead, it appreared a jewel from the treasure chest of the culinary tradition I started exploring with my sinking heart and watering mouth.
