Blue Cayenne

Tahini. 

Tahini is a nutty-flavored sesame paste.

Think you are unfamiliar with tahini? In all likelihood, you’ve  probably enjoyed it in hummus or baba ghanoush. 

For purists, the best tahini is made from ground and roasted humera sesame seeds from Ethiopia. This bias in favor of Ethiopian sesame seeds rests upon the belief that  the flavor and texture of the paste is dependent upon the soil where the seeds are grown–the terroir. The tahini’s flavor is affected by the minerals in the soil and the health of the soil. Likewise the seeds need to be properly ground and roasted to maximize the quality of the tahini. I use a brand called Soom for my recipes. Soom is available in some specialty stores and online. Recently, a chef friend recommended the Har Bracha brand. I’ve just added it to my pantry. We’ll see.

Classically, tahini is used plain in recipes, but it is also available in several other varieties–whole grain (ground with the sesame husks intact), green (mixed wth spices and olive oil) and made into a chocolate spread. 

Nutritionally, tahini is a mixed bag. It is high calorie and high fat. The fat, however, is considered a “good fat” like the fat in avocados and nuts. Good fat helps lower cholesterol, fights inflammation and supports brain health. Tahini is also a source for vitamin B, magnesium, iron and calcium. 

In addition to tahini’s traditional savory uses like hummus, there are a number of wonderful sweet recipes that incorporate tahini. These blond brownie-like cakes are one great example, but you can simple drizzle it on frozen yogurt or ice cream to achieve a solid delicious shell.

This is not Blue Cayenne’s first exploration of recipes with tahini. Type tahini into the search bar on this page  and you will find a number of choices including Beets, Celery, Apples and Tahini Salad, Tahini and Miso Butter Baked Pears, Tahini and Honey Banana Bread, and a recipe for a killer Hummus. 

This Tahini and Chocolate Chunk Cake is a New York Times recipe. You can find the original  here.

Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen. 

Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.” Today’s Oldies But Goodies recipe is for an unusual but truly delicious Broccoli Cornbread . It’s a keeper.

Here is the link: Broccoli Cornbread.

Want to dive deeper into our recipe archive? Just click one of the categories at the top of this page or use the category search drop down menu on the right side of this page.

And…here is a link to Blue Cayenne’s main page:Blue Cayenne Food and Photography Blog. . If you are in the mood to cook (or eat!), we hope you will take a moment to look at the many excellent recipes we have featured.

I’m a sucker for fresh beets at the farmers’ market.

At my farmers’ market, the vendors spray water on the beets to make their reds and oranges pop. Catches my attention (and triggers my taste buds) every time!

The beets we eat today are believed to have originated in ancient times as sea beets, a seashore plant grown around the Mediterranean. In that iteration, they were mostly consumed as leaves. They were also used as dyes, teas, and medicines. Beets were found preserved in the ash of the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. How interesting is that!

Over the centuries, beets were increasingly cultivated for their large bulbs (in addition to their delicious greens). Beets we would recognize were widely consumed in Europe and Asia by the 16th Century. 

This recipe is from Alison Roman’s cookbook Something From Nothing. You can order the cookbooks through your local bookstore or on Amazon here.

Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen. It is delicious served at room temperature. You will enjoy all the textures in this beautiful dish and the interesting contrast provided by the creamy tahini dressing and the sweetness of the apple slices.

By the way, we have featured a number of tasty beet recipes over the years here on Blue Cayenne. Try our Smashed and Seared Beets, Persian Lentil and Beet Soup and our Beet, Walnut and Arugula Salad.