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Adeena Sussman is the type of cook every aspiring foodie wants to be. Hers is a world of unfussy yet decadent meals, of daily trips to Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market (conveniently located steps from her apartment), and of family-style dinner parties where the emphasis is strictly on friends and eating—not complicated table settings or fancy cocktails. Her just-released book, Sababa, gives us a peek into that world through her favorite colorful (and nostalgia-inducing) dishes.
One such recipe is her tahini-glazed carrots. It’s one of the most requested and a mainstay of her autumn entertaining repertoire. “I like things that look familiar and taste different,” explains the author. “Roasted carrots? We’ve seen them before. But tossed with cumin, then drizzled with a nutty glaze that transports you straight to the markets of Tel Aviv? That felt fresh to me.”
For someone with so many great dishes under her belt—Sussman also collaborated with Chrissy Teigen on both of her Cravings cookbooks—you would think it would be hard to pick a favorite, but these veggies stand out because they’re steeped in memory. “My first taste of tahini is something I can still remember from my first visit to Israel at age 9,” says Sussman. “Back then, it was drizzled on a falafel sandwich, but it’s an ingredient that has stuck with me—I love its versatility; I love that it’s made by Arabs and Palestinians, and bought and loved by Jewish Israelis. It’s peace in a jar!”
Sussman likes to make the tahini glaze in advance and keep it in the fridge for a week or two, so she can whip it out at a moment’s notice when guests come knocking. If you’re planning your own get-together (or just want to get a jump-start on Thanksgiving prep), try it out for yourself.
Tahini-Glazed Carrots
Serves 4 Makes 1 cup of tahini glaze
The Ingredients
- 14 to 16 (1 ½ pounds total) thin carrots, peeled and trimmed (choose tricolor if possible)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pure tahini paste
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tbsp silan (date honey)
- 2 tbsp water, or more as needed
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
The Recipe
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Arrange the carrots on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and cumin, shake the pan to coat the carrots, and roast them, turning once midway through, until they have softened and their edges are golden, 25 to 27 minutes.
- Make the tahini glaze: While the carrots are roasting, whisk the 1/3 cup olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, silan, water, salt, and cayenne in a medium bowl until smooth and pourable, adding an additional tablespoon of water if necessary.
- Remove the carrots from the oven, transfer them to a serving platter, and drizzle them with the tahini glaze. Using tongs, gently toss to coat.
From Sababa by Adeena Sussman, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2019 by Adeena Sussman.
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