Pétit Déjournal

Now serving:

- Veggie Vichyssoise

- Roasted Garlic and Poppy Seed Bagels

- Falafel Burgers

Sometimes there are foods in the house I can't wait to eat: leftover pasta, chips & salsa, the last bite of an Aero bar, fried tofu. Other times there are things that wreak of mediocrity. I mean, they're fine, probably healthier than what I'd rather be eating and I'm not going to not eat it - I just wish it tasted like pizza. Or bacon. These are the two categories I think the foods this week fit into.

The latter category reminds of the years I lived alone and how I thought I liked Cream of Celery Soup. Is anyone thinking, "Oh man, I love Cream of Celery Soup!"? Or even, "I love celery!" I didn't think so. It just sat in the fridge and I felt...good? Special, maybe? I made it and no one else in their right mind would make it. I ate a little bit at a time and justify it as eating reasonably sized portions. Here's the thing - the whole time I was eating it I found myself choking it down and wishing it had more cheese. ("Wishing it had more cheese" pretty much applies to every food in my life.)

I love illustrations of fruits and vegetables. Think of the back cover of Cook's Illustrated magazine, any book by Alice Waters (also: the menus from Chez Panisse), or Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. The particular illustration for Katzen's Vichyssoise doesn't actually have any vegetables in it, but it's a frame - ribbony, with some flowery things. It looks good, regal, full, promising. The part of the recipe that says, "2 cups milk (lowfat ok)" should have tipped me off. Milk. Lowfat. This version of the soup is light, mildly filling, fine for a hot afternoon. Just imagine if it were half and half or heavy cream. Heavy cream is listed as optional. Whatever possessed me to use the milk and not go out in search of heavy cream I'll never know, but as soon as I'd finished pouring the milk I knew it'd been a mistake. It's real "meh." I did add a cup of sauteed kale and a cup of steam zucchini. Kale and zucchini are no substitute for heavy cream.

Moving on with the Moosewoods the Falafel Burger recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. This one's tried and true - easy to make, great for leftovers and even if the burgers alone aren't bursting with enough flavor there's enough room under the bun to jazz it up. It's basically pureed tofu and chickpeas with some sauteed onions and peppers, glued together with tahini and bread crumbs. Oh, and salt. Don't forget the salt. The original recipe calls for a quarter cup of parsley, which I never ever add. Why not? My parsley starts didn't take this year (or any other year, for that matter) and I refuse to buy parsley. Only a small portion of a bunch ever gets used and three-quarters of it ends up in the compost. My fridge is where parsley goes to die.

My fridge is also where bagels go to rise. I tried three or four bagel recipes before I found the one I wanted. I'm not settled with this one, but it's a solid one. What makes a good bagel? It's gotta be crusty and crunchy on the outside, soft and dense on the inside. Density is the key, it truly makes or breaks a bagel; the three words I have to share with you about the density in bagels: high gluten flour. As for flavor, I mean plain-bagel-flavor flavor, there are a couple options. I go for barley malt syrup, but others - including King Arthur - are more into non-diastic malt powder. I don't honestly know the difference and am a little too lazy today to look it up. This time around I added freshly roasted garlic and they are ah-may-zing.

Bagels, however, are something I believe should never be kneaded by hand - unless you're some sort of bread masochist. They're tough. Really tough. Doubly tough when made with high gluten flour. Personally being a bread masochist, I use my food processor to do 90% of the work and I knead a few minutes more to get the dough to smooth out.

Falafel Burgers

Based on the recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

1 c. diced onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. olive oil

1 c. diced red pepper

1 t. turmeric

1 t. ground coriander

1/2 t. cumin

1 cake firm tofu, pressed & crumbled

1 15-oz can chickpeas

1 T. tamari

1/4 c. tahini

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350, line two baking sheets with parchment.

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and spices and saute for 5 more minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, combine the tofu, chickpeas, and tamari in a food processor (or mash 'em up with a potato masher.) Process them until well combined, but not a paste.

Move the tofu mix to a bowl and add the sauteed vegetables, the tahini, and salt. Mix everything together well, if it's too sticky add up to a 1/2 c. of bread crumbs. Add more salt if necessary.

Use a 1/2 cup to portion out the burgers and form into patties (about 8) and set on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, I usually flip the burgers at the end so they're all nice and browned. I topped mine with red onion and some bacon.