A Quick Sauce with Deep Flavor

This is a go-to sauce that brings a new taste to the table

Tahini, that not-so familiar butter made from sesame seeds, is oh-so ready for a bigger role outside the Middle East. Just add a little water, soy sauce, and lemon juice—Voila! Tahini is transformed into a luscious, blond sauce—good on just about any veggie dish, hot or cold.

For years I taught my students how to make this ”3-Minute Tahini Pasta.” Most students are agog at a new flavor sauce that they never had before. I now pass it along to you.

Change out the vegetables with the seasons. Tahini sauce has a way of melding most any veggies and pasta into an unforgettable dish.

INGREDIENTS: Plan on cooking the pasta of your choice separately for final assembly

SERVES 4

ABOUT TAHINI: tahini separates into pulp and oil, just like natural peanut butter. Take time to stir and blend back into a creamy consistency

• Pasta – 12 oz., any shape, cooked and drained
• Tahini – 1/4 cup
• water – 1/3 cup or more
• Soy sauce – 1 TBS
• Lemon juice – 1 TBS
• Veggies of choice: 3 cups, carrot, fennel, and cabbage, to name only a few…
• Scallion – 1 cup, white part sliced thinly, tops minced and reserved
• neutral oil – 2 TBS
• Scallion tops – minced for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the pasta and set aside
2. Make the sauce by combining tahini, water, soy sauce, and lemon juice. The sauce will at first seem to break up, but continue to stir into a creamy sauce. Adjust water to create a milkshake consistency
3. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil to just beginning to smoke
4. Add the veggies and scallion and sauté until crisp-tender
5. Pour in the sauce and the cooked pasta then stir to heat through
6. Serve with scallion tops

Recipes by B. Hettig