I’ve been craving falafel and hummus. Yum. We made these goodies at cooking club a while back, and I assure you they are worth the little bit of work. A snow day yesterday left me with a free morning, and, in a rare moment of pre-planning, I’d soaked a couple of cups of chickpeas overnight. Of course that shining moment was tarnished when I realized that I’d forgotten to mix up the dough for the pitas until I’d finished prepping everything else. Since it required an hour and a half rise, and I wanted to eat before 3 o’clock, I improvised with some whole-grain toast. Still very tasty.

Thanks to some tasty coq au vin and some pleasant company, I didn’t get back to the pitas until after 9 p.m. I had a few flops and a few that poofed just as they were supposed to poof. This morning I was able to have a proper pita for brunch and that, I assure you, is something I intend to make a habit.

Snow days make me a bit lazy, and there are chocolate chip cookies in the oven, so I’m going to make you do a little click-click for the recipes.

Pitas
Pitas are more about technique and timing than recipe. Every recipe I’ve tried has worked out pretty well, provided the oven was plenty hot. I like to use a mix of whole wheat and white flour. I found a great site that lets you build your own recipe.

Hummus and Falafel
Both of these yummies are easily tailored to suit your taste and you pantry supplies. Do yourself a favor and soak/cook your own chickpeas. Just do an overnight soak for the falafel, but, for the hummus, simmer them for about an hour. I usually pan-fry my falafel, sometimes in burger form. I still use the recipes we started with in cooking club. (Yes, I’ve been known to use dried herbs in a pinch.)

Sauce
Tzatziki, made from yogurt, is traditional. It’s also fabulous. However, I was snowed in with not a cucumber nor sprig of dill in sight. Should you find yourself in a similar position, no worries. Lavish amounts of hummus make a sauce unneccessary. Since I was craving a drizzle this morning, I improved with a touch of sour cream thinned with lemon juice. Try the tzatziki at some point, however. It’s great with pita chips.