Tag Archives: tahini

Crostini, Tahini and Curry Dinner

 The evening’s main course: Curried chicken with caramelized tomatoes over quinoa polenta and a side kale salad. 
Not a huge sports fan but I like making major games an excuse to have people over for dinner. As preparation for our annual Superbowl dinner, we invited a few friends for drinks and eats to watch 
the NFC Championship Game. 
 
Having guests over is also a good time to practice table setting. Here I used the teak napkin holders I got to match our table, a bunch of daffodils and Riedel stemless wine glasses.  
The first order of business was the homemade chicken liver pate crostini, pictured here with chopped roasted almonds and sage and drizzled with truffle oil. 
A Malbec was the choice for the evening and alongside a sliced baguette we served 
Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam Cheese, a crazy soft creamy cheese that is always a crowd pleaser.  
The soup of the evening was the recently discovered Chickpea Tahini Soup.
quinoa polenta and a side of Kale Salad.
The daffodils bloomed by the end of the evening. I love being around for that.
Screaming sports fans, not so much 🙂

Chickpea Tahini Soup

 
I’ve had a jar of tahini and a can of chickpeas for the longest time, hoping I’d have enough initiative to make some hummus. Fortunately I never did, or else I’m sure I would eat it all. I love the flavors of olive oil, sesame and beans, especially with a dash of cumin and some heat. 
 I wanted a recipe to finally evict my pantry squatters, and now I get to share it with you! 
Wash the chickpeas in water and drain.
Begin, as always, with garlic and oil in a hot pot and saute until brown. 
Add all the chickpeas except for one cup (set aside) and season with some spices.
Cumin and cayenne are your friends! Add one teaspoon cumin and a few dashes of cayenne for heat.
Add water, about 6 cups, and one vegetable boullion, plus the juice of one lemon. 
Stir and simmer covered for ten minutes.
 
Stir the tahini well. In most cases the solids will be stuck to the bottom of the jar. 
Scoop out about half a cup and add to the pot. 
Using a stick blender, liquefy the pot’s contents. Stir and season with cumin and salt.  
Simmer covered for ten minutes.
 Add the remaining chickpeas and some chopped kale. Cook until kale is soft. 
Serve hot with a dash of paprika and top with chopped parsley.  
Hearty and great with some pita or flatbread. Enjoy!
(For this meal I served this soup with a Quick and Simple Chicken Curry and an Awesome Kale Salad)
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