Basic tahini sauce

Worth knowing by heart. Goes with roasted vegetables, meatballs, grains, baked potatoes and anything served in a flatbread.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of tahini
• 4 tablespoons of cold water
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 clove of garlic
• a pinch each of cumin, coriander and curry powder
• salt, and a little chilli if you like it hot

Preparation

1. Combine tahini, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. The mixture will seize and turn lumpy at first — that is normal, don’t give up.
2. Add the water one spoonful at a time while stirring. The sauce will suddenly relax and turn pale and creamy.
3. Stir in the crushed garlic, the spices and salt.
4. Let it rest for ten minutes so the flavours settle, then thin it further with water if you prefer a pourable dressing.