Tag: Tahini

broccoli with ginger-tahini dip

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.


baba ghanouj (garlicky eggplant dip)

eggplant cilantro tahini spread toast toppings peanut butter

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This recipe is based on one in Annie Somerville’s Fields of Greens, and I love it. Dip pita bread in it, or spread it on toast. Scoop it up with chips, or with celery… It’s so yummy! If you don’t happen to have cilantro, it’s fine to leave it out.

Two notes about the tahini. 1) If you can’t find roasted tahini, just use the regular kind. And 2) Smell the tahini, and taste it once you’ve gotten it all mixed up and creamy (the oil separates out when it’s sitting on the shelf in the store. If it smells yummy and nutty, and tastes creamy and rich and good, use it. If it smells bitter and rancid, take it back to the store and exchange it for a jar with a newer expiration date. I’ve had some trouble recently with getting good tahini—so make sure yours is good before you use it. In fact, I’ve had so much trouble lately that I’ve just used peanut butter instead of tahini! The natural, unsweetened kind of peanut butter, of course. Maybe I even lik it better than tahini!

2 globe eggplants, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons roasted tahini (sesame paste) or natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon cumin seed, toasted in a skillet and ground
Juice of 1 lemon
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (OK to omit)

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, cut side down, and roast until very tender, about 35 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then scoop the flesh out of the skin, or peel the skin off the outside--whichever is easiest.
2.  Meanwhile, combine the tahini or peanut butter, cumin, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt, and a pinch of cayenne in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Chop the eggplant with a big knife until in small chunks, then add it to the bowl. Whisk everything together until it is fairly smooth, but retains some lumps.
3. Allow the baba ghanouj to sit for 30 minutes or an hour at room temperature, then season to taste, if needed, with additional lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Toss in the cilantro and serve on toast.