actually, I did start the fire.

So, sometimes things just go crazy. I really love adventures and trying new things, but sometimes I am not prepared for the skill required for such undertakings!! If the title is not enough of a hint for you... I did start a fire in my kitchen this week. Not my finest moment, but all's well that ends well!

Let's back up here. So, I had decided earlier in the day that I wanted to make Mediterranean food. For some reason, falafel has always interested me and I thought it wouldn't be that hard. So I attempted to! I was going to put falafel with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber on a pita with green Greek sauce! Good idea, right? I also wanted to make a yufka boregi. This is a cheese pastry that I learned to make in cooking class in Istanbul a few years ago. It is the dish from that experience that I make the most, but still not often enough. This Mediterranean feast was sounding awesome in my head.

I found this recipe for falafel, but didn't have time to soak the dried chickpeas, so I just used 3 cans of chickpeas/garbanzo beans. I know, I know. Canned food is just not as good as the real thing. But I was in a crunch.

Pretty ingredients!

So the first thing that went wrong was that I didn't have a food processor. I thought a blender would work, since chickpeas are pretty smushable and all, but it just got all thick at the bottom of the blender. meh. So, not really knowing what to do... I just mixed it all up with my hands. I don't know. It was weird. 

If you haven't noticed yet, I am nowhere near an expert in food. I like explorations, but my taste for adventure and my taste for flavors are about all that motivate me. I wish I was excellent at this, but I really am just having fun. Along these same lines, I don't really know much about falafel except that it tastes good when other people make it. I'm not sure is this is the right consistency or not, but whatevs. It tasted good. 

Meanwhile, I was working on the Boregi. This one actually worked out as planned. Probably because I have made it before. Haha. The recipe was adapted from The Flavors of Istanbul by Sharon Croxford. I used filo dough instead of making my own dough and for the cheese filling, I just used Athenos feta cheese with garlic and herb. It is a process of layering, egg washing, etc. 

Yufka Boregi

1 package filo dough

1 package Athenos garlic and herb feta cheese

3 eggs

3/8 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

-Mix cheese and 1 whole egg and 1 egg white (leaving yolk in another bowl for glaze) in a small bowl for filling.

-Mix 1 whole egg, water, and melted butter for the egg wash.

-Butter a circle pan and layer in two layers of filo dough to cover the bottom of the pan and draping over the sides.

-Apply egg wash over this layer of dough and add another. Then add another layer of dough the same way as the first. Repeat this step. 

-Spread filling evenly over this layer of dough. Then add another layer, egg wash again and repeat that 2 or 3 more times. 

-Fold all dough from the side of the pan in across the top and  glaze with egg yolk

-Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

-Allow to cool. Slice, and serve!!

While I was making this, oil was heating up for the falafel. I have never fried anything before in my life and I do not have a thermometer. It said to heat up to 375 F but I just thought "Oh, as long as it is not boiling, it will be fine." Wrong.

The second I put in the first rolled ball of chickpea mixture, the oil started bubbling and sputtering all over the place and the little ball completely fell apart. In this eruption, oil got out of the pot and into the stove and started smoking. (Smoke alarm #1) Except I didn't realize it had gotten into the burner. Naively, I tried to use a different pan - a little more griddle-esque - with just some olive oil drizzled in it to cook the falafel, because deep frying scared me. Once I turned the burner back on, within seconds I saw an orange glow coming from the bottom of the pan. I lifted it up only to be greeted by flames!! Panic ensued. "Michelle!! .... FIRE!" I yelled. (Smoke alarm #2) She told me to get the fire extinguisher and in my rookie usage, I put the fire out. Here was the aftermath.

There was grease everywhere and fire extinguisher dust even more-so everywhere. Derp. I could not have remained composed without the help of my wonderful roommate. While I was waiting for the stove top to cool down so I could clean, I decided to cook the falafel balls in the oven. Well, that failed too - they were too squishy. But they tasted good. And in the end of the day, that's kind of all that matters for a food adventure. Here was the final product:

It actually made a really good dip for the pita, and if you put this on first and then a little bit of green sauce, it actually tasted great! The boregi tasted great, too. All in all, it was a nice dinner with a lot of craziness behind it.
Then came the million hours of clean up. My really cool boyfriend, Matt, came over and so sweetly offered to clean the whole thing. I couldn't let him do that though, but he scrubbed and cleaned right along with me for a few hours. I was just blown away by his generosity with his time and how caring he was in making sure I was ok. He even wore an apron!

After he left, I scrubbed for a few more hours. Barkeeper's Friend was the cleaning agent and it worked wonders. In the end, the kitchen was cleaner than it had been in a while.
As I said before, all's well that ends well and end well it did. Praise God for friends, fire extinguishers, sympathizing souls, Barkeeper's Friend, protection, and a good meal in the end.

In penitence for setting our stove on fire on Monday, I unclogged the bathroom sink drain today with a hanger, a paperclip, and my do-it-herself tool kit. I feel like those balance each other out.
 :O)