Sunday, March 8, 2009




Well it is finally time to begin my mission to understand the depth of sesame seed paste and show the culinary world what a diverse ingredient it can be in any kitchen.  Since this is my first recipe I feel I will start it off light and go with one of my favorite ways of preparing tahina.  I mix it with fresh date honey, which lucky for me is in abundance in Israel and a little bit of lemon juice. This goes great with just about anything, but I think I will try something a bit more complex, just for fun. 


Warm beet root and sweet Potato salad with cool tomato, Arugala, and feta medley, topped with a poached egg and sweet date honey Tahina.


Ingr:

Sweet Potato, Red Tomato, Green Tomato, Red Beet, Arugala, Micro Bean Sprouts, Feta Cheese, Egg, Sesame Paste (Tahina), Date Honey, Lemon, Olive Oil, Kosher Sea Salt, Hawaiian Red Salt

 Throw the Beet into a pot with Boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. (Do not peel the Beet) Do the same for the sweet potato and boil in pot with a pinch of Sea Salt.

While they cook take two heaping spoon fools of tahina and mix with one heaping spoon fool of date honey.  Mix into thick paste and add very small amounts of water till desired thickness.  Add a small splash of olive oil, a small squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  Wisk to smooth and let sit.

 


Wash and cut both types of tomatoes into square inch pieces and put in bowl.  Cover with a squeeze of lemon juice.  When the Beets and Sweet potato are soft remove them from the water (Do not throw away water, leave on heat). Crack an egg and poach in the water of the Sweet Potato.  

While the egg cooks remove the skin from the beet and the sweet potato and dice into cubes. 

Plate it up:  Place beat and sweet potato on bottom of plate as a base.  With your hands break feta into small pieces into tomatoes. Give them a mix and place over the beet/potato base.  When the egg is cooked to desired level place on top of tomatoes, cover everything with the tahina and sprinkle with the Hawaiian red salt.

 

Enjoy

Price: varies depending on what is fresh


Saturday, March 7, 2009

Organic Food Market at the Old Port (Tel Aviv)


This was an enjoyable friday morning at the old port in Tel aviv for some photography and a walk through the organic farmers market.








Nothing like a nice Fresh Espresso to enjoy the view




Thursday, March 5, 2009

Oyster Mushroom Marinara (not tahina yet)





This was just for fun and I was hungry so I though it was time to whip something tasty together.

It is a Fresh Oyster Mushroom marinara with whole wheat organic pasta.

Ingre:

2 tomatoes
1/2 onion
1/2 lemon
1 hand full of fresh Oyster Mushrooms
1 hand full of fresh Tarragon and Oregano
Sea Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of whole wheat pasta
Red Sea Salt

Once the water is boiling through in both whole tomatoes for 1 minute. Keep the water boiling as you will use this for the pasta. When the skin starts to crack take them out and put them under cold water for 30 seconds.  Peal the skin, dice then into rough cubes and set aside.  At this point roughly chop the onion and the oyster mushrooms and throw them into a pain with hot extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.  At this point put the pasta into the water, and from here the timing will be perfect

After the onion and the mushrooms welt a bit and become golden throw in the tomatoes. Add a couple spoons full of pasta water and squeeze in the half a lemon and let it cook down for 5-10 minutes. Taste periodically for salt 

When the pasta feels like it is almost done take it out and put it directly into the sauce.  Throw in the fresh herbs.  (Rip them apart into pieces with your hands).  Toss around the in the pan for 30 seconds and transfer to the plate.  Sprinkle the pasta with a pinch of Red Hawaiian Sea Slat and eat...

Cooking time 20 minutes
Cost:  $3.50 cents

Enjoy






What is Tahina?

In the last couple of years I have become fond of a very specific condiment.  This flavor enhancer hails from the East and except for a few falafel places, it is not widely used in the western world.  
After two years of experimental concoctions, I have come to the realization that it is probably one of the most diverse and useful ingredients that someone could use when cooking.  It can be used in desserts, on salads, in marinades, in soups, on meats, and just enjoyed as a great dip.  

This great thing, as you have probably already guessed it is tahina and it is more then just a sauce for falafel and shwarma.  So what exactly is Tahina?

Tahina Defined

Tahinitahinetehina, or sesame paste is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking. Middle Eastern tahini is made of hulled, lightly roasted seeds. East Asian sesame paste is made of unhulled seeds.

Tahini is a major component of hummus bi tahini and other Middle Eastern foods. It is sold fresh or dehydrated.

Sesame paste is an ingredient in some ChineseKorean, and Japanese dishes; it is a key ingredient of the Szechuan dish Dan dan noodles. Because East Asian sesame paste is made from unhulled seeds, it is more bitter than tahini, and higher in some nutrients.


For the next year I will go on a mission to use sesame seed paste in as many different ways that are possible and show the world that this is better then mayonnaise, ketchup, and soy sauce combined.  (I will also see how I can incorporate those three items with tahina as well..)



Green Tahina Begins














It seems I have worked myself into the mood to finally start a blog.  I have been debating whether to start a blog for the last three years and it is about time I give it a try.  I have to say that the final straw that broke the camels back had to be a recent episode of Gourmet Magazines "Dairy of A Foodie" that depicted the stories of some of the world's most famous food bloggers.   That show really is great and I can not get enough of that magazine either.  I probably check in four to five times a week looking for some new inspiration to fill my minds appetite for the perfect meal.  I am inspired and it is time to write, photograph, cook, and eat.

Despite the fact that is it has become quite popular for people to have food blogs, I really could not care less.  I am a foodie and I need to talk about the food.  That is it....