Lebanese Tarator dip with Cauliflower Florets

 

Above are cauliflower florets dipped in a batter of chickpea flour which has been mixed with water, chilli powder, cumin, salt and garam masala. Then sprinkled with olive oil and then baked for a bit, not parboiled first, I add, just stuck in the oven. Cauliflower accepts so many flavours that whatever you spice it with will work. But this blog isn't about caulis, it's about that jar of forgotten Tahini that languishes at the rear of your cupboard.

So about once a year I'll make hummus from scratch and that's wrong. Even tho my hummus is great the co-op's versions are good and so convenient, and so cheap (I like their caramalised onion hummus version lots), Note to self - stop buying it, make it.

Anyway 'Tarator' is the Lebanese version of our mayonnaise, the Lebanese use it all the time, it appears with just about everything from a salad to a pitta bread, Tarator although dairy free tastes really creamy, and if you add some toasted sesame seeds, then maybe even the amazing dressing for chicken caesar may have a competitor.

Find your forlorn tahini, remixed it up as it will be separated, then in a bowl add a bit of water, the tahini will look like it's curdling, but it's not, keep mixing, add some finely chopped garlic, seasoning and some sort of chilli sauce, when combined add lemon juice, fresh if possible, mix, decide how thick or thin you want the dip and adjust and serve.