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Thick Tahini Sauce

By Rawia Bishara

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Rawia Bishara's Brussels Sprouts with Panko .

Tahini sauce, a smooth blend of toasted sesame paste, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern kitchens. It is the condiment. There is hardly a dish that isn't enhanced by it—drizzled on Falafel sandwiches and over Brussels Sprouts with Panko; blended with pureed chickpeas for Hummus and with charred eggplant for Baba Ghanouj. My favorite Whole Fried Fish is served with this sauce mixed with parsley. At Tanoreen, I mix it into salad dressings and drizzle it into cauliflower casseroles. My daughter? She dips French fries into it! Learn to make this and you will have a simple, delicious, versatile sauce to add to your repertoire.

VARIATIONS

Spicy Tahini Sauce
Add 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses and 2 tablespoons chile paste to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until thoroughly incorporated.

Sandwich Sauce
To make a thinner version for drizzling on falafel, kafta or cauliflower tagine, add water to the mixture and pulse to thin to desired consistency.

Fetti Sauce
Combine 1 cup of the tahini sauce with 1 cup of plain yogurt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth to make a wonderful, simple sauce for Chicken Fetti.

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