A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Falafel

A Middle Eastern delight!

Ah, falafel. I've been a fan of the falafel ever since Jason Reitman bought one for my then-girlfriend (now ex-wife) after a talk he gave at Wesleyan University. Sure, maybe I won't make films like Jason Reitman, but at least I can make a falafel.

It seems like there is one sort of "set" method of making falafel, so here it is in a healthier baked form, as inspired by Mark Bittman, Alton Brown, and the annals of culinary history.

Your Standard Falafel
Makes 8 servings. 12-24 hrs. prep time. 45 min. cook time.

A bowl of dried chickpeas.

Soak 1 lbs. chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in a bunch of water, at least two inches above, overnight, or for 12-24 hours. (Chickpeas will crumble under finger pressure when ready.)

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Drain the water and throw the chickpeas into a food processor with 1 onion (chopped a bit), 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. ground cumin, 1 c. chopped parsley, a dash of cayenne powder, 1 ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. baking powder, and the juice of 1 lemon. Pulse intermittently until the mixture is minced but not puréed.

Unsuspecting falafel in the oven.

Brush 2 tsbp. olive oil onto a sheet pan (or two, depending on how large your pans are). Roll mixture into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter, smoosh slightly into a patty, and place on the pan. Brush the tops with another 2 tbsp. olive oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes per side. They will be golden brown and delicious before you know it. (Well, I guess you'll know it, if you've set a timer.) Store in your fridge wrapped in tin foil (for easy reheating in your toaster oven, perhaps) or in your freezer in air-tight plastic. Serve on some lettuce with some cucumber, tomato, and the like... oh, and pita! You must have pita. And tahini sauce, of course. Get some from Trader Joe's. You won't be sorry.

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Title inspiration: I realized I'd already used the best option, Fefu and Her Friends, for something else, so today's second-best option is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a musical comedy written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Premiered at the Alvin Theatre in New York City on 8 May 1962, directed by Jack Cole, produced by Hal Prince, starring Zero Mostel, and featuring staging and choreography by Jerome Robbins, though he wasn't credited. It was Sondheim's first big hit as a composer and won the Tony award for Best Musical as well as four others.

In Revival: Johnny Got His Cakes

I wrote a while ago about a really inexpensive brunch option, the Johnnycake or hoecake. Here is a vegan update, using the same recipe slightly tweaked and now with optional actual corn!

Ol' fashioned home cookin'!

So, it's the same method as before, with the cornmeal and the boiling water and such. This time, have an extra 1/4 c. boiling water standing by after the 10 minutes is up. Then, before you throw these puppies in the pan, add the extra water along with 2 tsp. olive oil to loosen things up. Stir in about 1/3 c. frozen corn (or fresh, I suppose, if it's handy; this is optional).

Now, to the pan with another 2 tsp. of olive oil instead of butter. Mmm... delicious. And cheap!

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Title inspiration: Johnny Got His Gun is, among other things, a dramatic film written and directed by Dalton Trumbo, based on his own novel (written in 1938). Released 14 May 1971 at the Cannes Film Festival.

All in the Tomato

There's just something about tomato soup...

Hi, everyone, whoever you are! I was doing some teaching (a lot of teaching) and it was hard to keep this thing going; but here I am, back again with more of An Actor (me) Preparing Lunch.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about my life and career. I'm in a transitional phase, no longer teaching full-time (It was a good, year-long experiment) and working towards "the next thing," whatever that might be. One thing that happened over the course of my year is... I gained some weight. I'd been eating much junkier and most of my activity was sitting around a theatre telling people what to do and where to go. The other day I pulled Mark Bittman's VB6 off my bookshelf to give it a second pass. Bittman writes that we should be eating way more vegetable product and way less animal product, and so he proposes going Vegan Before 6 p.m. So... high time for some soup, I think, and the return of An Actor Prepares Lunch!

A Tomato Soup
1 hour prep, 45 min cook time

Take some time to quarter and de-seed 3 lbs. of tomatoes (Roma are easier to work with, I find). Also, chop up a yellow onion and a red bell pepper, while you're at it.

All the tomatoes.

Heat 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the onion and red pepper with a heavy pinch of salt. Stir occasionally for about 7 min., until the onion starts to become translucent. Add 4 minced cloves of garlic and stir for another 3-4 min. Throw in a pinch of red pepper flake and a bunch of thyme (I tied some sprigs together; make sure you take it out if you do it this way before you puree). Stir for 1 min. Deglaze with 1/4 c. white wine. Add in 2-3 bay leaves, the fresh tomatos plus a 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes, and about 4 c. vegetable broth and/or tomato juice. Stir once, cover, and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down low and simmer for 30 min. Remove the pot from heat and fish out the bay leaves (and thyme, if necessary). Stir in 2 tbsp. maple syrup and some fresh parsley and fresh basil. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with more parsely and/or basil.

Vegan and delicious!

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Title inspiration: All in the Timing is a collection of one-act comedies by David Ives. Premiered at Primary Stages, New York City, December 1993, although individual one-acts had their own premieres prior to this staging.

Happy Holidays!

Look what one of my theatre students got me! An "An Actor Prepares Lunch" apron and a mug with play quotes on it! #xmasswag

After the Meatball

Via Twitter, @LifeofaMeatball

I'm not much of a meat-eater. In fact, I spent most of my young life totally repulsed by meat, aside from the occasional hot dog or slice of bologna. I started eating chicken when I was ten; red meat, when I was twenty-three. So when the chance came to make some meatballs for a small dinner party, I couldn't resist.

As per usual, never satisfied with a singular recipe, I have created my own hybrid from a few different sources: Alton Brown, The Joy of Cooking, and my friend Kathrin, who shared her grandmother's utilitarian recipe with me years ago in preparation for this fateful day.

Meatballs may be frozen for up to six months. Just reheat in sauce. (Make sure you reheat "low and slow" to make sure the whole 'ball comes up to temperature.)

Finally, the absolute minimum ingredients you need for meatballs are meat, breadcrumbs, and egg. Beyond that, the options are limitless.

Triple-Threat Meatballs
Serves 8-10. About 40 min., with prep.

Grab a large mixing bowl, wash your hands thoroughly, and manually mix together the following:
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 4 minced cloves of garlic
- 1 large (sweet) onion, finely chopped
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ c. breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 3 oz. dry red wine (zinfandel or petit syrah, say)
- 2 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley 
- 1 tbsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. red pepper flake

Now, you can make the 'balls right away, or you can stick the mixture in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Wash your hands!

When you're ready to make the 'balls, preheat the oven to 400°F. Put another ½ c. breadcrumbs in a smaller bowl for dredging. Wash your hands again! Use a spoon to scoop up some of the mixture, roll in your hands so each ball is about 2 inches in diameter, roll in the breadcrumbs, and place on a baking sheet. (At least make sure they are all about the same size. Alton Brown recommends putting plastic wrap on a scale and weighing them out to 1½ oz. each. He also recommends using a mini muffin tin instead of a baking sheet.) Did you wash your hands one last time? Good. Stick them (the meatballs, not your hands) in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of your 'balls reaches 160°F. Share and enjoy!

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After the Fall is a drama in two acts by Arthur Miller. Premiered at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre in New York City on 23 January 1964, presented by the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, directed by Elia Kazan.

A Bespuding in Spokane

St Patrick loved potatoes...

Ah, Ireland. Land of leprechauns, Catholics, and potatoes. Nation of Guinness, Jameson, and McDonagh. I've always wanted to marry a lass named O'Brien. Ah, well.... Celebrate today responsibly, my lads and lasses; here's a good way to get started.

Potatoes Story-O'Brien
Serves 2-3. About 20 min.

Fire up a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat. Dollop in 2 tbsp. coconut oil. Dump in a cubed russet potato with ½ tsp. salt and lovingly stir around 'til she be coated. Turn the heat down a bit, to medium. Stir every now and again for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes get somewhat golden in color. Add in ½ an Anaheim chile, diced (you can also use a green bell pepper), ½ a jalapeño, diced, and ¼ of a small onion, diced. Stir around for about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in ¼ tsp. smoked paprika and stir for about 1 minute. Serve (with an egg or two and toast, say) and enjoy! (I like to season mine with white pepper.) Whatever you don't eat you can save in the fridge and reheat tomorrow or the next day. (See "Waiting for Leftovers".)

Incidentally, I only just thought of this after the fact, but you can make your Potatoes O'Brien even more Irish by using an orange bell pepper instead of Anaheim chile. Sláinte!

I almost got them to form the shape of Eire herself.

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A Behanding in Spokane is a dark comedy by Irish playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh. Premiered at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City on 15 February 2010, starring Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and Zoe Kazan.

Leekally Blonde

A soup for all seasons.

The French add cream, serve it cold, and call it vichyssoise. English speakers tend to throw in cheddar and bacon and serve it piping hot. Whatever your preference, a good potato leek soup makes for a good and hearty lunch all on its own.

Leeks... are a bit of a pain. Because of how they grow, they require a real good cleaning before use. But trust me, the extra effort is worth it. You can find other cleaning methods on the Interwebs, but my method is as such: Trim the tough leaves and the root, then slice each leek in half. Run each half under water, peeling back individual layers and rubbing off any dirt you see. Give them a good shake to remove excess water.

The start of so many good dishes.

Potato Leek Soup
Makes 10 servings. 80 min.

In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt 4 tbsp. unsalted butter (vegans, use a substitute or 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil). Stir in 6 chopped leeks, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped rib of celery, ¼ of an onion (chopped), and 5 minced cloves of garlic. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the leek is tender but not browned, about 20 minutes. Stir in 4 sliced russet potatoes, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, and 8 c. vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a boil (high heat). Once boiling, turn the heat down low, and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the potato is soft. Remove from heat and puree until very smooth. Season with salt and white and/or black pepper. Garnish with a handful of snipped chives.

Stick it in the fridge for a week or in the freezer 'til you run out. When you reheat it, you may want to add a few tbsp. of water to loosen things up a bit.

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Legally Blonde is, among other things, a musical written by Heather Hach with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the film directed by Robert Luketic. Premiered 23 January 2007 at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco.