broccoli with ginger-tahini dip

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broccoli ginger tahini

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This recipe is loosely based on one in rebar modern food cookbook. Of course you can dip anything in this dip, for example, celery, red peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. Thinned slightly with warm water, the dip also makes a great dressing for a salad of greens, oven-roasted carrot slices, and a garnish of roasted, chopped cashews.

3 ounces fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced thinly, across the grain (yes, this is a LOT of ginger)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons roasted tahini
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1-2 pounds broccoli, as much as you’d like to eat in a few days, tops cut into bite-sized florets, and stems peeled and sliced into ¼” slices. If the broccoli is small and fresh, you don’t need to peel the stalks.

1. Combine ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar, white pepper, and salt in a blender and grind until very smooth. Keep the motor running and slowly add the oil. Add the tahini and continue to blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust salt and other seasonings to your taste. Mix it up with a fork each time you use it because the oil and tahini will tend to rise to the top of the jar. I make a double batch when I make this dip—it keeps well in the refrigerator.
2. Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a pot that you can put a steamer basket in. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. When the water boils, put the broccoli stems into the steamer basket, and steam for 4-6 minutes until just tender. Check them every minute after 4 minutes, poking with a sharp paring knife.
3. Remove the stems, drain them in a colander, shake off excess water, and immediately spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet spread with a dishtowel. (This allows the extra water to evaporate, and the broccoli stops cooking almost immediately.)
4. Put the florets in the steamer, and steam for 3-5 minutes until barely tender, testing them often after 3 minutes. Remove the florets and cool them on a dishtowel, as for the stems. Serve the broccoli with the dip.