Super simple vinaigrette

A good vinaigrette will perk up and add flavour to any salad. If you use it sparingly it doesn't have to compromise any fancy diets that you might be on. It also might make the salad tasty enough for you to stick with the diet.

Making them is easy. Find a suitable container that you can seal properly. I like using old herb/spice containers that have a screw cap, like the Marks & Spencers jars pictured. Here is a simple vinaigrette mix that I use a lot, the quantities are expressed in ratios:

• 5/8 olive oil
• 1/8 balsamic vinegar
• 2/8 red wine vinegar

Shake well prior to using, there is no need to wait for any special infusing to happen.

If you can get your hands on it, look for red wine vinegar that is raspberry infused.

The stuff is very hard to track down. It seems to be a French specialty - a friend who lives in Bilbao alerted me to it, and he can only get it in France. Marks & Spencers used to do it, but you might only find it in larger stores (I can't get it locally). However I lucked out shopping this week, and found some in a health food store (Evergreen). This is a French import, if the lack of English on the bottle is anything to go by. However it is much better than what I got in M&S, the raspberry is much more distinct (twice the price though). Use it as a direct replacement, it makes for an awesome vinaigrette - light, fruity and sweet.

You can go with a stronger proportion of balsamic vinegar too, but I find that it overpowers the food. Whats more interesting is when you experiment with the oils. Hazelnut oil has a very distinctive and pleasant taste that is nice to add into salads. Walnut oil is another good salad oil, but I don't think it would work well in the vinaigrette combination above.

The other main advantage of using a DIY vinaigrette is that you know how much you are putting in the salad. It can be hard to tell with store bought products.

Making Falafel

Tonight I went about making Falafel. This is a fun dish thats easy to enjoy and scale up to multiple people and large groups. Though it can be tricky to make if you are doing it for the first time, or if you do not have access to a really good food processor.

I have used a few recipes in the past. Many insist on frying or deep frying them, but if you haven't made the falafel patties right, they can fall apart easily. This is the recipe that I used:

For the falafel:

• 4 cups of chickpeas
• 1 cup of chopped fresh coriander
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of tobasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tahini
• 4 spring onions, chopped finely
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs

• Several pitta breads depending on your number of guests

For the side salad:

• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 1/4 courgette, finely chopped
• 1/4 pepper, finely chopped
• 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• Some rocket, chopped roughly
• Tahini sauce, or some suitable dip (like raita)

Step 1: In a food processor, blend the coriander, mint, garlic and spring onions until finely chopped.

Step 2: Add the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, baking powder, cumin, tobasco sauce and tahini and blend until the mixture has a very fine consistency.

Tip: If you are having a hard time blending the mixture (the chickpeas are well tough). Add in some olive oil or lemon juice to get everything moving again. A good food processor makes a lot of difference here.

Step 3: Wet your hands and start to shape the mixture into small balls. They should be sticky and hold together well. It is better to make them smaller rather than bigger, no more than 4cm wide when slightly flattened. You should be able to get over 20 small falafel patties out of the food mix above.

Step 4: At this stage you have a choice of cooking methods: Frying, Deep Frying or baking. If you are a novice, calorie conscious, or your falafel are not holding together perfectly, bake them. Simply place them on a baking tray that has been brushed with oil, and use an oil spray to lightly coat them. Place in a pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes, then remove and turn them so that they get browned on both sides.

Step 5: Wet the pitta bread, and place them in a toaster, or bake them.

Step 6: Cut open the pitta breads (hopefully they have inflated making them easier to do so). Place a mix of the side salad within them, along with as many falafel that will fit, and top off with sauce.

Serve and enjoy.

Leftovers

Leftover falafel are a nice addition to salads, even when cold. They have a nice bread like consistency by themselves (but I wouldn't go dipping them in soups).

Variations

I doubt if this recipe is particularly authentic. Tahini is generally called for in authentic falafels. However you have to add a lot in to get the flavour though as the spices tend to dominate. Also, you need a really good food processor or a lot of patience with a hand blender - tahini is very sticky. You will need to increase the oil a lot to make the blending easier.

If this takes your fancy this recipe will stop being a healthy treat (thats a lot of calories you are adding in). It will likely be stickier though and they may survive better if you are frying them.

Introduction to the Junior Foodie

Welcome to my new blog. The Junior Foodie is where I write about becoming a better cook and a better eater. I want to share recipes, learning experiences and practical advice.

For several years now I have been trying to improve my cooking. I usually hit a problem where most recipes I found were intended for large groups and they are impractical for cooking on your own or for two. There is usually a lot of waste left over, or a bit too much effort goes into the food preparation and cleaning up afterward. This means that your cooking time eats into your limited free time. Free time demands usually won, so all the better eating initiatives usually ground to a halt.

In the last year though, things have been changing for me. I started becoming more ambitious in the meals I prepared, using more difficult recipes. I have also been sourcing ingredients better and using a lot more fresh produce. Paradoxically the more I challenged myself the easier it got. I started to get a better appreciation for different foods and how they combined. I also learned how to build some momentum in the food preparation from day to day, and how to cut corners in the effort.

With success comes reward and I am starting to enjoy the experience more. I look forward to preparing food and especially sharing the results with friends. Informal dining experiences with friends are fun and cheap entertainment in these belt-tightening times.

Its getting to the stage that I am wondering if there are other people out there who were hitting the same wall when it came to eating better. Lots of good intentions undone by the effort involved. Hopefully the tips and tricks I share here can help others too.