TAHINI GAME STRONG (+ A GIVEAWAY!)
New recipes from Rachel Simon's book, Sesame, including a date-night worthy Tahini Caesar, a rhubarb tart and a mouthwatering giveaway from Seed + Mill.
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Hello, friends!
May is racing by already, chock-full of spring concerts, field trips, and birthdays for several of my favorite ladies on the planet. We‘re still deep in a septic rebuild. Yet, somehow, between digging up our entire back yard, leveling and replanting, I’ve managed some almost date-night feeling moments with my husband (if you count sitting together and holding hands at my daughter’s Spring Concert, sans one wiggly ten-year-old boy).
May has also been a month of incredible book launches, many of which I’ll be discussing here over the spring and summer, starting with SESAME.
Years ago, when I was a twenty-something living in New York City, my parents would visit me regularly to take in the arts, theater, and the best restaurants the city had to offer. It was a win for us both—we ate in all the dreamy places I could scarcely afford, and I toured them around with the kind of insider access only long-time residents can claim.
On one trip, we ate at a dazzling Middle Eastern restaurant on West 50th that no longer exists, well before tahini was the buzzword du jour. I remember so much about that meal—the grilled Branzini, buttery charred eggplant, and the creamiest hummus platter scattered with spiced ground lamb and sesame seeds. For dessert, we ate a halva parfait with a texture and flavor that I still dream about.
This meal was a cosmic shift in my then very French-forward orientation in the kitchen. It wasn’t my first introduction to sesame in halva or hummus form. Still, it was the moment I understood why the sesame seeds on my favorite H+H bagel made it stand out from the rest, why toasted sesame oil boosted an ordinary stir-fry to extraordinary, and how the very best hummus, made creamy thanks to high-quality tahini, is more of a meal than a dip.
Flash forward two decades—Rachel Simons is at the sweet spot of all things sesame. Her female-founded company, Seed + Mill, has fueled much of the tahini-everything craze in New York City and beyond. I panic when my jar of tahini is running thin.
Rachel is the daughter of an immigrant and has traveled the world and lived/worked in five different countries. Her book Sesame calls on her years of research to found Seed + Mill, and the relationships that have bloomed since. It is littered with satisfying recipes like Three Seed Porridge (pictured, above) and Not Another Hummus, which will wake you up to what Hummus was meant to be (see below for a texture you want to take your fluffy flatbread for a few strokes through).
I love that Rachel also includes recipes contributed from cooks and food luminaries around the world, sharing an intimate relationship with sesame seeds, sesame paste, halve and tahini that infuses some of the world’s favorite foods from the Middle East, to Eastern Europe, all across Asia and Central America with massive flavor and that creamy umami goodness that sticks with us long past our initial encounter. As Rachel says:
“The history of food, its culture and migration, and its ability to bring people together over a diverse and lively table is why I love what I do!”
Today, I’m sharing the Raddichio Tahini Caesar Salad from Sesame, because Caesar Salad has always been the winning ticket in my household. This one is full of subtle surprises, with the bitter lettuces and soft-cooked eggs, making it feel elevated and indeed date night worthy (as Rachel calls it in her head note), but still super easy.
The second recipe coming your way is a Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette with Halva Cream, which will go out later this week for paid subscribers. I would run miles for that halva cream, which I’ll talk more about in tomorrow’s note.
In the meantime, you have a chance to win an incredibly generous SEED + MILL Gift Box, which include their truly top-notch tahini, my favorite halva, a bag of Tahini-Caramel Popcorn, some Gomasio seasoning, and of course, Rachel’s book, Sesame (which is as beautiful to look at as to cook from)!
Scroll through the pretty pictures below to learn more.
ENTER TO WIN: To win this Tahini-lovers goodie box, including the book Sesame, Like this post (use the heart button) and leave a comment below, answering one of the following questions (choose whichever piques your curiosity more!):
Two or three lines about your first sesame/halva/tahini taste memory
Three Sesame-inspired dishes you plan to try this month
One reason you (or someone you love) need this box of goodies!
We will pick a winner at random and contact you (via email) to receive your goodie box in the mail. (Must be 18 years + and US based to win. See official rules below*)
Finally, on May 31st, I’ll interview Rachel at our mutual friend’s shop, Kingston Social, in celebration of her book launch. Locals, please join us for this free event! Details are below.
Enjoy Rachel’s recipes and don’t forget to enter to win!!
xx
Sarah
Radicchio Tahini Caesar*
The Ultimate Date Night Salad
Ingredients
1 head Castelfranco radicchio or a large bunch of kale
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Croutons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 thick slices of sesame-crusted sourdough, torn into 1-inch pieces
Dressing
3 boquerones (white anchovies)
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 to 4 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
⅓ cup finely grated
Pecorino, plus more for serving
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground pepper
⅓ cup tahini
3 soft-boiled eggs, cut in half, for serving
Method
Wash and trim the core from the radicchio and pull the leaves apart. If using kale, remove the stems from the leaves and tear the leaves into large pieces.
In a small bowl, combine the shallots, vinegar, honey, and salt. Stir, then set aside to soften and pickle, at least 5 minutes.
Make the croutons: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bread to the pan and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Then, turn the pieces to cook on the other side for about 3 minutes more, making sure the bread doesn’t burn. Transfer to a plate or bowl and let cool.
Make the dressing: In a food processor, combine the anchovies, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the water, the Pecorino, garlic, salt, and a pinch or two of pepper and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the tahini until you have a thick but still pourable dressing. Taste and add more salt, pepper, water, or a teaspoon or two of the pickling liquid from the shallots, as needed.
To assemble, toss the radicchio in the dressing in a large bowl. Top the salad with the eggs, pickled shallots (discard unused pickling liquid), croutons, and more Pecorino.
Serves 3 to 4 // Time: 20 minutes
A NOTE ABOUT COOKBOOKS:
Thank you to Rachel and Ten Speed Press for sharing this recipe! I only include cookbooks in my letter that I love and use myself. My favorites make it into my bookshop on Bookshop.org. Buying from Bookshop.org helps support the viability of small booksellers and gives me a tiny kickback at no additional cost to you.
*Reprinted with permission from Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed. Text copyright © 2025 by Rachel Simons. Copyright © 2025. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Alan Benson. Illustrations copyright © 2025 by Evelina Edens. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
OFFICIAL GIVEAWAY RULES
Open to U.S. residents only, 18+ years old. No purchase necessary. To enter, follow the steps in the giveaway post. Entries close on Sunday, May 18 at 11:59 PM EST. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via DM. If we don’t hear back within 48 hours, a new winner may be selected. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram/Facebook/Substack.
When I was a kid in the 80s, and no one I knew had ever heard of halvah, my parents (who has honeymooned in Israel) used to seek it out and occasionally find it in the gourmet cheese case at a local grocery store. We didn't often have sweets in the house, but I would often get a small slice of halvah as an afternoon treat. It has been one of my favorite flavors ever since. When I can't find it, I just stir honey into my tahini and eat it with a spoon!
Love Rachel’s book so much!