Middle Eastern Salads: Tahini, Roasted Peppers, and Eggplant with Green Onions and Cilantro

These are the last of the Shabbat salads. Don't worry, there will be more, eventually. For now, I leave you with this flavorful, colorful trio. The homemade tahini (I really want to scream tchina in my inherited Israeli accent, but I'll leave it tahini for a more familiar pronunciation), has a creamy texture and a hint of garlicky taste.

 

The roasted pepper, depending on your preference and luck (yes, I consider it luck when you land a batch of seriously spicy peppers), add a boost of piquant, livening any bite from bland to interesting.

And finally, this roasted eggplant salad is something my father-in-law concocted in his own kitchen. Yes, he's an excellent cook and takes his Shabbat salads quite seriously. He has perfected each one and through various experiments, came up with this combination that became an instant success amongst the eggplant-obsessed in the family. Guests are instantly hooked as well.

I hope you will pick one, two or all to make at your next meal. These salads are great starters that are fresh, healthy, and flavorful. The perfect appetizers to nibble on while the meal is taking pace and conversations are flourishing around the table.





Homemade Tahini

Ingredients:
1 jar of tahini sesame paste
2 bunches of cilantro, washed
4 garlic cloves
juice from one lemon
1 TB of olive oil
1/2 TB of salt
2 cups of freezing water

Directions:
1. In a food processor equipped with a blade, pulse the cilantro and garlic until finely chopped.
2. Pour the whole jar into the bowl of the processor with the lemon juice and salt.
3. While the blade is turning, pour 1 cup of water through the spout. Let it incorporate into the tahini.
4. Stop the food processor and check the consistency. If it's too thick, incorporate the second water cup. Check the consistency again.
5. Keep on adding water until you reach your desired consistency. Some like the tahini to be a thick paste, some like it more watered down.
6. Once you reached your ideal texture, add the olive oil and let pulse another few seconds.
7. Transfer to a storage container.

***

Roasted Peppers

Ingredients:
10 long spicy peppers (there are various names, it really doesn't matter which kind you buy, the spicier the better in my book)
Olive oil
Sea salt

Directions:
1. With your over on broil, char the sides of the peppers until they are all burnt. Transfer to a heatproof container and cover to cool and let the steam loosen the skin.
2. Peel the skin off and slice them thinly.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

***

Eggplant with Green Onions and Cilantro salad

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cubed
1/4 cup of oil
1 TB of paprika
salt and pepper
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 TB of mayonnaise
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450F. In a baking dish, toss the eggplant with the oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until the eggplants shrivel and are fully cooked, about 45 minutes.
2. Once the eggplant cools, mix with the cilantro, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon, salt and pepper.
3. Serve.