December 7, 2015 Breakfast – Biodynamic Granola, lunch – Anatolia Donar Kebab Restaurant, Dinner – Rack of Lamb and Eggplant with Tzatziki, green Peas, and Roasted Potatoes

December 7, 2015  Breakfast – Biodynamic Granola, lunch – Anatolia Donar Kebab Restaurant,  Dinner – Rack of Lamb and Eggplant with Tzatziki, green Peas, and Roasted Potatoes

I had a bowl of fruit salad with Greek yogurt, and Mango nectar for breakfast.  Then went with Aaron to a meeting with Aaron for the Los Lunas Project.  We decided to go to lunch after the meeting and decided to go to either Bistro Francais or Anatolia Donar Kebab Restaurant, aFter checking on its Facebook page and finding that the Lunch special was Burque Kebab.

I drove to downtown and parked at Third and Gold.  We first went to  Bistro Francais and spoke to the waiter.  When we heard that there were no new specials on the three course lunch, we decided to go to Anatolia Donar Kebab Restaurant, because Aaron wanted Falafels and we were in the mood for something different than what we had previously eaten at Bistro Francais.  During our conversation the waiter mentioned enjoying the chicken Donar Kebab, which is what Aaron ordered ($9.95) along with a Falafel appetizer (4.95).  I ordered the Daily special for $6.99 with all salad, instead of rice and salad.

The Falafels had a  very crisp crust and a very tender center. Very delicious.  Here is a recipe:

Falafel

Recipe courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian

Falafel

Total Time:

1 hr 10 min

Prep:

15 min

Inactive:

30 min

Cook:

25 min

Yield:4 servings (3 patties per serving)

Level:Easy

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas

3 scallions, coarsely chopped

1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Generous 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

Generous 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1 egg

1 lemon, juiced

Kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup flour, plus 1/4 cup flour for shaping patties

Vegetable oil, for frying

Lettuce, for garnish

Chopped salted tomatoes, for garnish

Grated cucumber, for garnish

White Bean Yogurt Sauce, recipe follows

Creamy White Bean Yogurt Sauce

3/4 cup cooked white beans

1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, scallions, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, parsley, cilantro, egg, and lemon juice. Pulse to combine and season with salt. The mixture will not be smooth, but it should not have large chunks.

Add in the baking powder and 1/3 cup of the flour and pulse to just combine. Remove to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove the chickpea mixture from the refrigerator. Add enough oil to a large saute pan so it reaches 1/2-inch up the sides and heat it over medium-high heat until an inserted thermometer reads 360 degrees F.

Meanwhile, drop spoonfuls of the chickpea mixture onto a plate with 1/4 cup flour. Roll into balls on the floured plate and press gently into patties. Fry in batches of hot oil for about 3 to 4 minutes each side and drain on paper towels.

Serve the falafel on a bed of lettuce with chopped salted tomatoes, grated cucumber and White Bean Yogurt Sauce.

Puree the white beans, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, and olive oil in a mini food processor until very smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with falafel or as a salad dressing.

Recipe courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian

I really enjoyed the freshly grilled Burque Kebab studded with red chili flakes that turned much of the meat a reddish color and spiced the meat with a zesty chili flavor.  The salad was wonderful also large strips of green leaf lettuce with red cabbage dressed with a strong vinaigrette.  Aaron’s chicken Donar was a plate filled half with salad and the other half holding a layer of rice with a pile of diced grilled marinated chicken on top.

At 3:00 in the afternoon I rode to Rio Bravo and back.  

Suzette arrived around 5:00 hungry for dinner, just as I was putting about a dozen PPI roasted New potatoes into a pyrex baking dish and squeezing the juice of a lemon onto them.  Suzette fetched the two small racks of lamb from the fridge and salted and peppered them and the PPI green peas from Thanksgiving.  I sliced the ½ eggplant we had into 1 inch thick slices and put the potatoes into a 350 degree oven to heat them.  Suzette grilled the lamb and eggplant slices while I made tzatziki with Greek yogurt, a minced clove of garlic, lemon juice, about a Tbsp. of olive oil, about ¼ cup of chopped fresh mint leaves, and 1/3 of a cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced. 

Suzette came in from the grill while I was making the tzatziki and asked, “Do you want a slice of fresh mozzarella melted on top of the eggplant?”

Of course, the answer was, “Yes.” So, Suzette sliced fresh mozzarella cheese slices and laid them on the eggplant and melted the cheese as she grilled the eggplant.  

The racks of lamb were thick and when we sliced them, they were undercooked, Suzette heated some olive oil in a large skillet and seared them for a minute or two on each side to get them to medium rare.

I fetched a bottle of 2012 Famille Perrin Reserve from the basement and poured glasses of it and fetched the mint jelly made by  the Greenhouse Bistro and Suzette plated a wonderful dinner.

A Southern Cotes du Rhone wine is my favorite with lamb and the 50/50 blend of Syrah and Grenache in Famille Perrin Reserve is very representative of that style of wine.  It is a bargain at $7.99 less 15% at Total Wine.

 We watched the News Hour to catch up on all the horrors of modern civilization.  Tonight’s feature was the Beijing smog alert with pictures of the skies over the city filled with pollution and peoples’ faces covered with masks to reduce the inhalation of airborne particulate matter.  Welcome to hell on earth.

 Another interesting bit of news was the announcement by Donald Trump’s campaign that all Muslims should be denied entry into the U.S. and accompanying commentary whether this was a step too far by him.  Do people realize that he is stoking the disintegration of American democracy?  The Republican campaign is feeling a lot like Germany circa the 1930s, when all Jews were required to register and their rights and property taken away from them.

We watched a bit of the Dallas v. Washington football game but the performance of both teams was so lackluster that I went to bed at 9:00 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

I also received word today that my appeal to the 10th circuit was denied, so we will need to create a record in the state court and take the case back up on appeal, if the state court gives us a chance to present our evidence.

Bon Appetit