Yogurt Tahini Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Gather your ingredients.
• For the sauce: Peel a clove of garlic with a crack of knife against the heel of your hand. In a small bowl, whisk up yogurt, tahini, the juice of 1 lemon and cumin. Then grate the garlic into the sauce with a zester or paste it with a knife (add a fat pinch of salt). Whisk sauce again.
• For the burgers: Preheat a cast-iron skillet or heavy griddle or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.
• Place ground lamb or chicken in a mixing bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, sumac if using, turmeric, cardamom, crushed red pepper, allspice and nutmeg. Crack 2 cloves garlic and grate them into the bowl or finely chop. Peel the onion and grate about 3 tablespoons of it into the bowl. Finley chop the mint and parsley then add them to the lamb. Combine all the ingredients and mound up. Score meat into 4 equal portions and form 4 patties, thinner at the center for even cooking.
• To prepare the burgers, add EVOO, 1 slow turn of the pan, to skillet (a thin layer to just glaze the surface). Add patties and cook about 7 minutes for lamb, a minute or two longer for chicken, turning occasionally. If cooking lamb, press down with spatula when you turn the patties -- lean ground lamb tends to tighten as it cooks more so than other ground meats.
• When you remove the patties they can be served as such but for a more authentic facsimile of shawarma, we rest the patties and very thinly slice them on a bias. Regardless, while the burgers cook, prepare your toppings of choice.
• Assemble burgers: bun bottoms, sauce, patty or thinly sliced shawarma, lettuce, hot cherry peppers, cucumbers, herb leaves, dressed fennel and onions, bun top. OR split a pita and fill with giardiniera and Israeli pickles.
• Poke with a couple of toothpicks and split burgers down the middle. Serve burgers with chips.

Steps:

• Whisk together yogurt, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Thin with water to obtain a smooth sauce.

Steps:

• Place garlic cloves in a blender or food processor and process to mince. Add tahini, and process for a further few seconds. Add yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cumin; process until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a serving dish.

Steps:

• Peel cucumbers and dice. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt (draws water out). Cover with a plate and sit something heavy on top. Let sit for 30 minute Drain well and wipe dry with a paper towel.
• In food processor or blender, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill and/or mint, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir into yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.
• This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.
• ** If you can't find the thicker Greek Yogurt Cheese, you can use regular, plain yogurt that is either full fat or low fat. To thicken, spoon yogurt into cheese cloth that has been quadrupled. Draw the corners of the cloth up and tie together. Suspend above a bowl for 2 hours so that water can drip out. The consistency of the yogurt should be like that of sour cream.
• You can skip this draining process, if you want, but you will have a moderately messier, runnier result.

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, tahini, vinegar, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, water, cayenne pepper, and salt in a bowl until smooth.

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Grill eggplant over indirect heat, turning occasionally, until completely tender, 1-1½ hours (depending on size and type).
• Meanwhile, grill whole garlic heads over indirect heat until cloves are tender and jammy, 40-50 minutes.
• Mix together yogurt and tahini in a small bowl; season with salt. Slice heads of garlic in half crosswise and squeeze cloves into yogurt mixture; stir well to incorporate.
• Cut a slit lengthwise down each eggplant and carefully pull open with your hands. Arrange on a platter and squeeze juice from lemon over; season with salt. Dollop yogurt sauce around and sprinkle with sumac. Serve with spoon sauce.