Lemon Tahini

Last month, I had the pleasure of catering a 90th birthday party. This was a celebration of the mother of a client I have worked with for many years, so it was wonderful to have the chance to see many members of a family I have gotten to know over the past almost-20 years.

We served vegetable curry along with numerous accoutrements. Two of those items are recipes that I would like to share with you. The first is the lemon tahini, which I served as a dip for vegetables and bread.

It can also be made into a great dressing for a kale salad, by adding a little more water (see below).

Lemon Tahini
Makes 1  cup
½ cup tahini
2–6 tablespoons water (as needed)
4–5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3-4 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste (optional)

Place the tahini, parsley, garlic, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water into the bowl of a food processor. Blend well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and adding enough additional water and/or lemon juice to create a sauce with a smooth, pour-able consistency and a nice puckery taste. (The amount of liquid you’ll need to add will depend upon the thickness of the tahini and how much water adhered to the parsley.)

Add the salt and cayenne (if using). Refrigerate until needed, for up to 1 week.

To make a dressing, just add water until the tahini reaches your desired consistency and adjust seasonings as necessary. (In the photo that follows, I tossed chopped kale with cucumbers, carrots, avocado in the lemon-tahini vinaigrette.) 

Recipe adapted from epicurious.com.