Tahini, a staple in my condiment collection, is best known for homemade hummus, baba ganoush and as a key ingredient in sauces to pair with falafel and other Middle Eastern bites. But tahini is the gift that keeps on giving and has uses far beyond the expected.
Tahini is simply a puree of sesame seeds. Nothing else. Think of it as an alternative to peanut and other nut butters.
Bottled tahini takes the work (and the mess) out of grinding sesame seeds. Make sure to read the labels to ensure that nothing else is added.
Soom, made from Ethiopian white humera sesame, is the preferred brand of chefs for its silken texture and rich sesame flavor. However, this brand can be a bit hard to track down in stores. For easy shopping, consider the roasted sesame seed flavor in tahini from the Whole Foods 365 brand or the milder organic tahini from Trader Joe’s.