Halfway through baking these, moments after I opened the oven door to flip the little falafel balls belly up, letting out a hot garlicky waft, there was a knock on my door. Locked out roommate? I thought. But it was a stranger, standing quite a few steps back from the doorway, probably so as not to scare me. “Hi, I live up on the third floor. It smelled so good down here I had to know what you were cooking.” So he had sniffed his way down here. And then, before I could say more than “Oh! I’m making falafel,” he promptly ran away.

I wanted to offer him some, but I didn’t even get his name. I checked the mailboxes downstairs but couldn’t figure it out. There is more than one apartment upstairs, and one of them has an intimidating Asian girl with a perpetual scowl who I am afraid of, so I am not about to go knocking on doors.



These are amply spiced and herbed, but not too much so. I’m practicing restraint with my cupboard of 40+ spice jars. There are 3 jars of paprika and 4 of cinnamon. Why?? One day they will topple on my head (the shelf is high up) and I will most likely die of sneezing. Did I mention the 5 different jars of chili powder?

I’ve also been moving away from McCormick and buying from spice stores and Indian markets. Their spices are far more potent, so I need less. But spice as you see fit and think of my measurements as rough guidelines.



I do not pretend to be a falafel expert, but I’ve had my fair share of good falafel when I was vegetarian and living in NYC, though the best I ever had was at Oleana in Cambridge. I like my falafel crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, fresh, and spiced.

I also admit that it tastes better when it’s deep fried, but I cannot go through that ordeal again. My kitchen was filled with cumin scented fog for days. I sprayed these baked falafel generously with my oil spritzer, left out the flour, and baked them instead. They are still immensely flavorful, healthier, and suitable for indoor cooking. Plus they come out hot and crispy all together.