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Sometimes it just takes one special ingredient to give your favorite cook a much-needed boost. A next-level soy sauce, delicious berry preserves, a fancy olive oil – they deserve to try out the good stuff! Continue reading “2020 Home Cook’s Holiday Gift Guide: Dreamy Ingredients” » LEGGI TUTTO
If there’s one bright spot in this very bleak year, it’s that we cooked at home more than ever before.
We did it out of necessity, with restaurants closed and budgets tightened. We did it because we needed a new hobby (sourdough) or to feel comforted (banana bread). We did it because we wanted to travel, but couldn’t. We did it because we needed to keep ourselves and our families safe.
And yes, sometimes it was absolute drudgery, but other times it was an escape, a learning experience, a small win in a year when wins were hard to come by.
All that said: if there was ever a year to give a cookbook to the home cook in your life, this is the year!
Here are 10 wonderful options, from celebrated new releases to classic favorites. LEGGI TUTTO
Looking to make your own corn tortillas, sopes slathered with beans, or tamales? If so, then you need to have one ingredient on hand: masa or its dehydrated cousin, masa harina. It’s incredibly versatile, gluten-free, inexpensive, and delicious.
Photography Credit: Emma Christensen
This post is part of our Summer Cookbook Club series for 2020, featuring Gabriela Cámara’s book My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions. Autographed copies are available in our Simply Recipes Shop.
If you’ve ever had succulent barbacoa wrapped in a corn tortilla, bitten into the firm but tender texture of a sopa, or unwrapped the corn husk of a tamal (tamale), then you have had masa.
WHAT IS MASA?
Masa is made from nixtamalizing corn, which just means dried corn is soaked in calcium hydroxide (lime, not the fruit) and water. This process tenderizes the corn making it easy to mill and releases amino acids which transform the corn into complete protein. It also improves the bioavailability of calcium, cooper, zinc, and niacin.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a tortilleria, a bakery that sells freshly made tortillas, then you can buy fresh masa to take home and use as you see fit. But keep in mind fresh masa will ferment as time goes on, so unless you want it to sour, then it’s best to use within 24 hours.
WHAT IS MASA HARINA?
Masa is what comes of corn once it is nixtamalized. Masa harina is what happens when masa is dehydrated. Masa harina is sold at most supermarkets throughout the United States, typically in bags that look similar to flour or cornmeal bags. It can be yellow or white. It just depends on the kind of corn that’s used.
Masa harina is the next best thing to fresh masa and a practical alternative for home cooks, because it’s shelf stable, and you can make masa whenever the craving for fresh tortillas, sopas, or tamales strikes.
Gabriela Cámara, celebrated chef of restaurants in both Mexico and the United States, and author of My Mexico City Kitchen, recommends Bob’s Red Mill organic masa harina. It has a lovely flavor, is readily available, and uses non-GMO corn.
Try masa or masa harina in these delicious recipes:
To learn more about Gabriela Cámara and Mexican cuisine, read:
If you’re looking for more ways to cook with masa or masa harina, check out Gabriela Cámara’s book, My Mexico City Kitchen. Autographed copies are available in our Simply Recipes Shop.
Products We Love
Masa Harina Corn Flour
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Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina Flour, 24 oz, Set of 4
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Summer Miller
Summer Miller is the Senior Editor for Simply Recipes based in Nebraska. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Eating Well, Grit, SAVEUR, and Every Day with Rachael Ray, among others. Her first book is New Prairie Kitchen (Agate Publishing, 2015).
More from Summer LEGGI TUTTO
Gabriela Cámara is an international restaurateur and author of My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions. We interviewed her to discuss the popularity of the modern Mexican table, her position on sustainable food, and her commitment to creating equitable work environments. Continue reading “Q & A with Gabriela Cámara” » LEGGI TUTTO
Tahini isn’t just for hummus! Add this creamy, slightly nutty, rich ingredient made from sesame seeds to granola and brownies or make a dressing, marinade, or sauce for roasted vegetables, salad, and grilled meats.
This post is part of our Summer Cookbook Club series for July 2020, featuring Adeena Sussman’s book, Sababa.
WHAT IS TAHINI?
Tahini, at its most basic definition, is a paste made of ground sesame seeds. Sometimes the seeds are roasted; sometimes they aren’t. Unroasted seeds are considered raw.
People either tend to love it or hate it. If you’re on the “hate it” side, you might want to rethink your position and explore your sesame seeking options.
“To make tahini, sesame seeds are soaked in water (sometimes salted), then crushed so the hull separates from the tender inner germ. The seeds are then run through a centrifuge to separate and dispose of the waste before being roasted and ground between huge millstones,” Adeena Sussman writes in her most recent cookbook, Sababa.
When tahini is good, it should be homogeneous, creamy, thick but pourable, with a rich, nutty flavor. Sometimes it could taste slightly salty depending on how it’s processed, or darker in color which just means it was roasted more.
Bad tahini is bitter and dry tasting. If you’re not a fan of tahini, don’t hate all tahini—just hate bad tahini.
HOW TO PICK QUALITY TAHINI
So, you know what it should taste like now, and if you’ve been duped by the bitter stuff, don’t worry. It happens to the best of us.
I reached out to Adeena Sussman, author of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavor’s from my Israeli Kitchen for some advice on picking the best tahini.
“I highly recommend Soom Tahini. It’s imported from Israel by three American sisters. They guarantee freshness and have high standards and practices,” Adeena said during a recent interview from her home in Tel Aviv.
While some oil separation is natural, there shouldn’t be a thick layer of oil on top.
“Good tahini should pour like a thick pancake batter,” Adeena says. “It should be unified. There shouldn’t be a layer of oil on top and sludge on the bottom.”
If you see thick, distinct layers, chances are the tahini isn’t fresh. If you can, try to look for jars with packaged by dates stamped on them.
HOW TO USE TAHINI
Tahini is shelf stable and can sit in a cool dry cabinet for up to a year, which makes it the perfect ingredient to have on hand.
Most people are familiar with using tahini in hummus, but there is no reason to stop with a creamy bean dip! Make tahini dressing to spoon over salads and roasted vegetables, or add tahini to smoothies and granola, or swirl it into brownies.
TRY TAHINI IN THESE GREAT RECIPES!
If you’re looking for more ways to use tahini in your cooking, check out Adeena Sussman’s book, Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen. Autographed copies are available in our Simply Recipes Shop.
Products We Love
Soom Foods Pure Ground Sesame Tahini, 16 OZ (2-pack)
See price on Amazon
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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy. LEGGI TUTTO
If you’re a fan of blondies, and you should be, look no further than these chewy, slightly nutty, and utterly indulgent blondies made with tahini. The recipe was created by Adeena Sussman, for her cookbook Sababa.
Photography Credit: Dan Perez
There are cookbooks, and then there are books you will cook from for life.
Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen by Adeena Sussman, published in 2019, falls into the latter category. Each recipe is approachable, interesting, and bursting with flavor.
Beyond the recipes, she delves into details about ingredients, stories about her experiences in Israel, and recommendations for favorite kitchen tools and products.
This recipe for Chewy Tahini Blondies was a favorite among us at Simply Recipes. We loved it so much we asked Adeena if we could share it with you. Don’t let this be your only foray into her gorgeous book. These blondies are just the beginning of what will be a beautiful relationship with her food and writing. But I will let you tell her about them:
“I’ve made these so many times, so you won’t have to. On the surface this seems like a dead-simple recipe, but it took quite a bit of tinkering to nail. Tahini has a complex molecular structure made up of lots of tiny carbohydrate molecules that cling to liquid for dear life, seizing up the way chocolate does if you add liquid to it at the wrong time. But if you play your carbs right and add the tahini last, after all of the other ingredients, it stirs in smoothly and bakes up into these sexy little squares that get better as they sit around. To make these non-dairy, swap in a neutral-flavored olive oil or vegetable oil instead of the butter,” written in Sababa by Adeena Sussman.
WHAT IS A BLONDIE?
A blondie is kind of like the rich, caramelized, hints-of-molasses-flavored cousin of a brownie. You can make them chewy or cakey, simple or complex, but the universal component of a blondie is brown sugar. It’s what gives it the golden color and subtle molasses flavor.
WHAT IS TAHINI?
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It adds a creamy texture and subtle nutty flavor to recipes. When most people think of tahini, they think of hummus, but it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient that can be used in sauces, dressings, marinades, and baked goods like these Tahini Blondies.
SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
We think these blondies are perfect just the way they are, but baking is fun when you mix things up.
Swap the butter for oil to make them dairy-free.
Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips because, well, chocolate.
Add 1/4 cup of toasted nuts.
If you can’t find sesame seeds, leave them out.
If you don’t have tahini, make a different blondie recipe.
CAN YOU FREEZE BLONDIES?
You can absolutely make these Tahini Blondies ahead and freeze them by layering the blondies between sheets of parchment and storing them in a ziptop bag or freezer safe container. Then grab one as a single serving treat when the mood strikes you!
MORE GREAT RECIPES WITH TAHINI!
LEARN MORE ABOUT ADEENA SUSSMAN AND ISRAELI COOKING
If you’re looking for more great recipes, check out Adeena Sussman’s book, Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen. Autographed copies are available in our Simply Recipes Shop.
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Chewy Tahini Blondies recipe from Sababa by Adeena Sussman, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2019 by Adeena Sussman
Chewy Tahini Blondies Recipe
To make these tahini blondies dairy-free, replace the butter with a 1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for buttering the pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (or more to taste if you really like this flavor)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lightly toasted black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons lightly toasted white sesame seeds
1 1/4 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pure tahini paste
Method
1 Preheat the oven and prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, then line the pan with 2 criss-crossing strips of parchment paper, buttering between each layer and leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Butter the top and sides of the parchment.
2 Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt, pepper, and the black and white sesame seeds.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated, then fold in the tahini until smooth.
3 Bake blondies: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden on the outside and the center doesn’t jiggle but is still soft, 25 to 30 minutes.
4 Serve: Remove from the oven, cool in the pan, and cut into 16 equal squares.
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Products We Love
Soom Foods Pure Ground Sesame Tahini, 16 OZ (2-pack)
See price on Amazon
Buy
Non-stick 8-inch Square Cake Pan
$7.49 on Amazon
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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
Summer Miller
Summer Miller is the Senior Editor for Simply Recipes based in Nebraska. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Eating Well, Grit, SAVEUR, and Every Day with Rachael Ray, among others. Her first book is New Prairie Kitchen (Agate Publishing, 2015).
More from Summer LEGGI TUTTO
