Various Tahini Dips and Sauces

Amarante ↓

Sun, Feb 07 2021, 11:41 am

I made a great Stuffed Eggplant dish from a new Tahini cookbook. Part of the recipe used recipes from the book for Tahini based dips/sauces so I thought it made sense to actually list those recipes in this forum.

The ones I tried (the Carrot and the Roasted Garlic) were delicious, easy and could be made ahead. They are also much healthier (IMO) than the oily commercial dips.

Excerpt From: Amy Zitelman with Andrew Schloss - The Tahini Table: Go Beyond Hummus with 100 Recipes for Every Meal

Roasted Garlic Tahini Sauce

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

Roasting garlic makes your kitchen smell amazing. This creamy, caramel-sweet, garlic-scented
spread is also versatile—it’s equally sweet and savory.

1 medium head garlic
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup premium tahini paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3⁄4 cup ice-cold water
2 teaspoons chopped garlic, lightly browned in olive oil, for garnish (optional)

Turn the oven to 375°F.

Cut the pointed top oﬀ the head of the garlic, put the head on a square of alumi-num foil, and drizzle with the olive oil.

Wrap the foil around the garlic and roast the garlic until soft, about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven, unwrap, and let cool.

Squeeze the garlic ﬂesh out of its papery skin into a medium bowl, add the salt and lemon juice, and mash it all together. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the tahini and cumin until just combined. Don’t worry if it gets thick and grainy. Whisk in the ice-cold water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. It should be the consistency of a creamy salad dressing, like ranch. Top with the browned garlic (if using).

Store in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Sweet and Sour Tahini Dressing

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

This uber tangy dressing is great on potato salad, fried chicken, grilled chicken, leftover steak, corn on the cob, tuna, or anything that says warm weather” and “picnic.”

1⁄3 cup premium tahini paste
1 garlic clove, minced with coarse sea salt (see page 18)
1⁄3 cup ice-cold water
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons silan date syrup
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed
lemon juice
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ﬁne sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the tahini, garlic, water, ketchup, vinegar, date syrup, lemon juice, salt, and
pepper in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. It should be the consistency of a creamy salad dressing, like ranch.

Store in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week

Warm Spinach and Feta Tahini

SERVES 6
This tahini is creamy, ﬂuﬀy, and surprisingly rich without being ﬁlling. It makes a great omelet ﬁller.

2 garlic cloves, minced with coarse sea salt (see page 18)
3 tablespoons premium tahini paste
3 tablespoons ice cold water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces baby spinach
1⁄2 cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for
topping
2 teaspoons toasted white or black sesame seeds

Warm ﬂatbread, tortilla chips, and/or cut veggies, for serving

In a food processor, combine the garlic, tahini, water, and lemon juice and process until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and toss until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the food processor and pulse a few times, until the spinach is ﬁnely chopped. Add the feta and pulse just enough to combine.

Garnish with a little more crumbled feta and the sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature, with warm ﬂatbread, chips, and/or veggies.

Store in a closed container for up to 4 days

Roasted Carrot Tahini with Smoked Paprika

SERVES 6

The gorgeous orange color of this tahini hints at its rich North African ﬂavors. Use as a dip, as a bed for grilled chicken or broiled ﬁsh, or as a ﬁlling for a pita sandwich.

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon ﬁne sea salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons premium tahini paste
1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons smoked paprika, divided
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Leaves from 2 mint sprigs, ﬁnely chopped

Turn the oven to 400ºF.

Toss the carrots and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the cumin, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan. When the oven is up to temp, roast until the carrots are fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the roasted carrots to a food processor. Add the tahini, orange juice, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil, the hot sauce, and all but 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika. Purée until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little water. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

To serve, spread in a wide, shallow bowl, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of paprika and the mint leaves.

Store in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days