Simple Starter - No Argy-Bhaji

The Girl is, at the ripe old age of 18, finally coming to appreciate spicy food, and actually requested curry last weekend. Indian food is not something that has a strong presence here in France, so the ingredients available can be somewhat limited. To produce a simple curry was not an issue, but I wanted an appropriate starter that wasn't samosas from the frozen section of the 'Asian' shop. Turns out, I had no idea how simple onion bhajis are to make! They are just onions, flour, egg and spices, shallow fried for about 45 seconds on each side. Deliciously simple recipe here.
I like the idea of making our own poppadoms from scratch, but I think that's one to save for when the whole family is pitching in to make the meal. Intricate meals can have a great pay-off, but there is a limit to how many hours one wants to spend alone in the kitchen...

Easy Onion Bhajis

3 medium onions, finely sliced (you may wish to use a mix of varieties)
2 free-range eggs
125g flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
Vegetable/sunflower/peanut oil for frying


Stir everything (except oil!) up together into one, gloopy mass.
Heat enough oil in a frying pan so that it's about three-quarters of a centimetre deep.
Place dollops of the mixture (I did about a soup spoon at a time) in the oil, and fry for about 45 seconds on each side.
Drain and serve.
Eat with your fingers - it's what they're for!

Know Your Onions

I'm sure the internet will be relieved to know that the second batch of falafel was much more successful in terms of keeping its s*** together. It is hard to say exactly what was the definitive factor, as a number of things changed; the mixture had been in the fridge overnight, we added finely chopped onion, and we made the oil hotter. Based on this, We think we have figured out what to do next time. Recipe here.

Quick & Easy Falafel

1 large can of chick peas, drained
1 large clove of garlic
1 medium onion
5 tablespoons flour (I used semolina flour, but plain is fine)
Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander & other spices to taste.

Throw everything except the flour into a food processor and chop finely, but don't purée.
Add flour and work into moist dough.
Form into balls around about the size of a ping pong ball.
Deep fry with the oil at 180° for about 1 minute.
Drain and serve with pita breads, salad and sauces.
Warning: can cause extreme winds!

Notes: If time allows, chill the mixture before use. This also means that it's a handy one to prep in advance when expecting guests, or you want to leave something good in the fridge to have at the end of a long day!

A Falafel Lot Of Mess

Looking for a cheap but delicious way to stretch the contents of the store cupboards until pay day (<3), we thought we'd have a go at bunging together some falafel. Chick peas, onion, a little flour, some spices. No problem.
However..... at the last minute we realised we didn't have any onions left (it being the day before market) but we decided to plunge ahead anyway. Oops.
The first balls we tried in the deep fryer and they disintegrated completely. We then flattened the balls and tried them in a frying pan. Better, but not great.
It would seem that onions are essential for binding the balls! We will be retrying tonight, having bought some onions. Despite their dubious texture, they tasted great and will be even better, I am sure, with onions.
Now to find a 'volunteer' to clean the goop out of the fryer.........

Please Root For Me

Regardless of my origins, I have nurtured a life-long love of root beer. I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I can't get enough of the stuff. Literally. Root beer is not a thing here in France.
So imagine my delight when I stumbled across six cans of A&W in the 'foreign foods' section at the supermarket yesterday! It would seem that the tourist season has some benefits after all.
Coincidentally, I was participating in a discussion on junk food in one of my online study groups, and a friend posted this: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/08/diy-root-beer-how-to-brew-your-own-root-beer-recipe.html
Finding the ingredients may prove to be a challenge, but I'm willing to give it a go. I'll let you know how I get on, Internet.
Love,
bob

TIL: SOS - Save Our Sponges

Today I Learnt that re-purposing sponge cake is a thing. These days we are only three at home, and one sponge cake goes a long way. I have followed internet advice and taken to freezing uneaten cake for later use (it is hard to reduce ingredient quantities below a certain point). Today I have defrosted a wedge of Strawberry/Vanilla Sponge and used it as the base of a trifle/tiramisu hybrid. I lined the dessert bowl with slices of sponge cake, then filled it with a marscapone/crème fraîche/vanilla sugar mix (250g marscapone, tablespoon crème fraîche, sachet of sugar). Topped it off with fresh strawberries and icing sugar. Nom.