Cumin Tahini Yogurt Dip Food

CUMIN & TAHINI YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• Pound the garlic and 1 tsp sea salt in a pestle and mortar until smooth; transfer to a bowl and mix with the yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice and cumin. Add 30ml of water and stir till smooth then chill until required.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little more cumin. Serve with pita bread.

MOROCCAN CARROT HUMMUS DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pine nuts on one side of a baking sheet and the cumin seeds on the other side, not mixing the two together. Toast the nuts and spices until fragrant and browning in spots, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool.
• Cut the tops off the carrots and reserve. Peel the carrots and chop them into 1-inch pieces.
• Fill a medium wide-mouthed pot with 2 inches of water. Set a collapsible steamer basket insert into the pot, then bring to a simmer over high heat. Put the carrots in the steamer basket and cook, covered, until the largest pieces are tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Puree the carrots and chickpeas with a food processor until blended. Add the orange juice, tahini, reserved cumin seeds and 2 teaspoons salt and continue to process until the mixture is smooth and light and very well blended, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Transfer the carrot hummus to a medium bowl and reserve.
• Pick 1/2 cup packed leaves off of the stems of the carrot tops and reserve. Discard the stems. Pulse the garlic and all but 1 teaspoon of the pine nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the carrot top leaves, mint, 1/4 teaspoon salt and all but 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest and pulse until finely chopped. With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the oil and process until blended well.
• Spread half of the carrot hummus in the bottom of a medium glass serving bowl. Spread 1/2 cup Greek yogurt on top. Spread the remaining carrot hummus over that. Spread the pesto into a wide circle in the center and drop a dollop of the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt in the center of the pesto. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon pine nuts and 1/4 teaspoon orange zest. Serve with toasted pita triangles.

CUMIN LAMB MEATBALLS WITH TAHINI YOGURT DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat broiler with an oven rack placed 3 inches below heat source.
• Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife, make a paste with garlic and a pinch of salt. Put half the garlic paste in a large bowl and add lamb, 1 teaspoon of the salt, cumin, hot sauce, pepper, chile powder, scallion and 1 tablespoon parsley. Mix to combine.
• Shape lamb mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Make sure meatballs are spaced at least 1 inch apart. Transfer baking sheet to oven and broil meatballs for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned on top and slightly pink on the inside.
• Meanwhile, combine yogurt, tahini, remaining garlic paste,1/4 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice to taste.
• Transfer cooked meatballs to a serving platter or individual plates and serve with tahini sauce and extra hot sauce, if you like. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

CHARD STALK, CHICKPEA, TAHINI AND YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• Steam chard stalks over 1 inch water until tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well in a strainer for 10 minutes. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, along with chickpeas. Purée, stopping the machine from time to time to scrape down the sides.
• In a mortar, mash garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt until you have a smooth paste. Add to chard stalks and chickpeas. Process until smooth. Add tahini, yogurt and cumin and process until smooth. With machine running, add lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste. Stop machine, taste and adjust seasonings.
• Transfer dip to a wide bowl. It will probably be runny but will thicken. Serve with pita and/or crudités.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)-TAHINI DIP

Steps:

• Roast eggplant under the broiler, turning frequently, until the skin is charred and blistered.
• Peel away the skin, chop flesh roughly and drain in a colander for 30 minutes, and then press or blot to leak out as much liquid from the flesh as you can.
• Put eggplant flesh into blender, add tahini, garlic, almonds, lemon juice, cumin powder, salt and pepper.
• Transfer to serving bowl, fold in mint leaves and drizzle with olive oil.
• Goes well with pita crackers.