May I direct your attention to my new recipe for Serious Eats? It’s for Almost Meatless eggplant-chicken koftas. And if I do say so myself, it’s delicious and very healthy, especially when eaten on romaine leaves. So check it out.
Like so many recipes, this one is very, very easy if you use your food processor. I used to assume that everyone had one. It’s as basic a piece of kitchen equipment as a toaster or microwave in my view. But this weekend, a friend asked for my hummus recipe, which I sent to her and posted here for everyone else. A few hours later, she replies, “What if I don’t have a food processor?”
Well, go out and get one! Without the food processor, you can’t have hummus of the house. You can’t have your choice of coarsely chopped nuts or super finely chopped nuts, like this recipe calls for, in a matter of seconds. You can’t mince an onion without crying. (At least I can’t.) You can’t make pie dough as good as Martha Stewart on your very first try. You can’t have transparently thin potato slices for a gratin. (Well, you can if you have a madoline, but you can also end up needing a blood transfusion. Those things are dangerous! The trusty food pro will never send you to the hospital.)
So, seriously, if you want to cook more and have what you are making turn out better, if you want life to be easier, buy yourself a food processor. I know I’m an extreme case, but I often use mine twice a day. Be a food pro, have a food pro.