Aebleskiver

[Jon Dahl]

I use a tablespoon of butter in each cup of the pan for each Æbleskiver that I make.... Is that low fat?

[Newt]

Compared to deep-frying- probably. Especially if, like my grandmother, you insist on deep-frying in animal fat or shortening. Mmmm, saturated!

[Eric Rabbitsmasher]

When I was a cook down South, I didn't know how to make Corndogs, so I wrapped them in Hushpuppy batter, with big chunks of Purple Onion, 'cause that' all I had - they were a huge hit.

You might be able to do low fat Falafel in one of those too. Falafel is a sort of Chickpea fritter, handy if you have any vegetarians around.

[jedipencil]

Ooo.... post all those recipes please....

[Eric Rabbitsmasher]

Falafel I usually buy a mix, I've tried making it from scratch with mixed results, there are recipes for it on the web, but its middle eastern, so the the predominant flavors tend towards lemon, onion, parsley, cilantro, maybe some mint, here's a recipe :

* 1 cup dried chickpeas
* 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
* 4 cloves of garlic
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 4-6 tablespoons flour
* Soybean or vegetable oil for frying
* Chopped tomato for garnish
* Diced onion for garnish
* Diced green bell pepper for garnish
* Tahina sauce
* Pita bread

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Stuff half a pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and pickled turnips. Drizzle with tahina thinned with water.

NOTE: Egyptians omit the cilantro and substitute fava beans for the chickpeas.
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You do need to keep the fritters small, it's heavy, and if you make them too big they won't cook all the way through - but it has a nice crunchy texture and a nutty taste.

The Tahini will be the hardest thing to find, it's basically sesame butter, delicious, but not everybody carries it, your best bet there is a health food store, organic or whole foods grocer, etc.

Hushpuppies are thick cornbread batter, more like cookie dough than batter, deep fried, again, in about Walnut sized balls, and you usually add spices as you like, chopped onion, etc., served with fried fish.

I don't have a recipe, I just throw together some flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, chopped onion, maybe some roasted garlic paste if there's any left - it's actually between batter and cookie dough, lighter and it will be airier, heavier and will be denser, but easier to control.

Frybread is a local favorite, but it's a little more complicated - it's just a simple pan bread, deep fried about dinner plate size, but you really have to knead the hell out of it to develop the gluten so it comes out chewy instead of flaky.

[jedipencil]

Recipe noted! Thanks - I've never tried Falafel...

Newt: your hushpuppy recipe!