Update: Homemade Tahini

I have to apologize for not posting this sooner. Things have been crazy around here. My oldest son just started kindergarten and the whole house is trying to adjust.

Now it is time to get back into cooking. After receiving 4 bags of Bob's Red Mill White Hulled Sesame Seeds I decided it was time to make homemade Tahini.

Homemade Tahini

16 oz bag of sesame seeds
2/3 cup of olive oil

Toast the entire bag of sesame seeds in a skillet over medium-high heat. You will need a pretty large skillet. Continue to toss the sesame seeds every few seconds until they are very lightly toasted. I say very lightly toasted because I did happen to over cook a few and it changes the taste. Remove sesame seeds from the skillet and place in a bowl to cool. This is very important because if you leave them in the skillet even after removing from the stove they will continue to cook.

Place cooled sesame seeds into food processor. Let olive oil drizzle through the liquid feed tube. Pulse for about 3 mins or until you have reached desired consistency. Store in refrigerator. You can use less or more olive oil depending on how you like it.

*After making the Tahini I then used it to make homemade hummus. My husband said it was spectacular!

More recipes to come using Tahini.........

Freezer Pesto

If you have been reading my blog you know how much my family LOVES pesto. Since the basil in our garden is in full swing, I decided to start freezer canning some pesto to last for the winter months.

My challenge with this recipe is to find a cheaper place to get pine nuts. My local grocery used to sell the pine nuts for $6.99 for a 6oz bag and now it is $6.99 for a 4oz bag. I think I will start doing a little searching this week at Whole Foods and Trader Joes to find a better price for pine nuts. If you have any suggestions as to where I could get these nuts cheaper please let me know. All in all it is still cheaper to make the pesto homemade than buying the jar pesto.

This recipe is in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. It is super easy and tastes so fresh.

Freezer Pesto

Ingredients:

(Yield: about 2 half-pints)

1 cup pine nuts
4 cups of fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
2 cloves of garlic, (it states to crush, but I put them in the processor whole)
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup plus 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Place the pine nuts in a skillet and heat on medium. Lightly toast them. Be very careful, because the nuts will burn rather quickly if you do not toss them around every 15-30 seconds.

Puree toasted pine nuts, basil and garlic in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Add parmesan cheese and blend.

Add 1 cup olive oil through the feed tube of the processor or lid of blender in a slow steady stream while the machine is running.

Pour pesto into plastic freezer jars or containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace (I used the Ball plastic freezer containers and they worked great). Drizzle 1 1/2 tsp olive oil over the pesto. Label and freeze.