When preparing fresh tahini spread at home, it’s important to use high quality raw tahini. I use Tahini Al-Arz, which is beloved by Israeli chefs, partly for its taste and partly for the fact that it’s considered to be one of the richest in calcium.
Colorful Tahini
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash
- ¼ cup tahini
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional: crushed ginger
- 2 medium beets
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 500 grams spinach
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini
- ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup tahini
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons silan date honey
Instructions
- Acorn squash tahini
- Preheat oven to 300° F.
- Cut acorn squash in half and clean out the seedy, stringy insides with a spoon.
- Roast squashes in the oven until quite soft.
- Peel off the skin and mash squash with a fork in a bowl.
- Add raw tahini, a few drops of lemon juice, ginger, and salt. Mix.
- Beet tahini
- Preheat oven to 480° F.
- Wrap beets in foil and roast in the oven for an hour, until soft.
- Cut off the skin and process in food processor until smooth.
- Add raw tahini, lemon juice, and salt. Mix.
- Spinach tahini
- Pre-heat a medium saucepan with a small amount of olive oil.
- Add spinach. When spinach is cooked down, allow to drain in a colander.
- Blend spinach in a food processor. Add raw tahini, lemon juice, and salt.
- Silan tahini (sweet paste)
- Add a few drops of lemon juice to tahini.
- Mix in small amounts with silan until desired texture.
Thanks so much! As one of the kitchen challenged, I will do my best to follow your directions for the chocolate tahina. Ever grateful for all your publications and recipes. I even carry your cholent recipe in my wallet! המון תודה!
Hi Tamar,
Thank you so much for your kind reply. I ran to Chelsea Market to get the artisanal Seed and Mill tahina and halva. Very expensive, delish and has kosher certification. Yet, the Israeli tahina has a special something that can’t be replicated. I’ll stick with Achva. Would love a recipe for chocolate tahina like the one at Mamlechet Ha-Halva. Thanks again!
Oh, wow, thanks for letting us know about chelsea market. I can tell you that in my family we like to melt a really good chocolate into the tahini and use it as a spread instead of the classic Israeli chocolate spread or Nutella and it is really good, you just have to play around with the proportions.
Hi Jamie
Your question is not an easy one to answer. There are many brands of Tahini and I actually now live in Israel and have been trying as many as I can. While I love Tahini King like you, I don’t use it for my everyday tahini, just specialty flavors. Tahini al Erez is very good and the Achva one is really very good too. But I do know there are people who swear by one over the other, so it is really subjective and I encourage you try all the ones you can find and consider to what and how you are using them.
I did hear that they opened and tahini shop in Chelsea market, I don’t know if it is kosher or anything else, but might be worth checking out and if you do please report back.
The link to Sesame Story Shop is broken. Question- in pursuit of high quality tahina in the NY metro area. Saw that you were holding up a container of Achva Tahina. Is it comparable to Tahina al-Arz? I’ve been happy with Achva but nothing beats the Kingdom of Halva’s Tahina in a myriad of flavors at Sarona and Mahane Yehuda. Desperately seeking great Tahina! Thanks!
This looks great.
i would also do a roasted pepper tahini – using 1 roasted pepper in the mix. also pesto tehini, tomato & roasted pepper
Made the Spinach Tahini I added more lemon juice and it is great!!!