Steamed vegetables with tahini dressing

This Monday kicked off the quadragesima, aka lent. Greek-style lent is almost vegan, with the exception of honey and seafood. The count-down to Easter offers many a delicious culinary experiences full of plant-based nutrients.

Vegetables, seeds, grains and pulse are combined to create dishes of their own right;  tahini, sesame-paste, is a favourite and versatile ingredient used both in savoury and sweet creations. Now that I think of it, tahini actually tastes like lent.

If you like uncomplicated things, then you may want to try this simple dish of steamed seasonal vegetables drizzled with a sesame-paste based dressing.

For two persons, as a light meal or side-dish, you will need:

3 big carrots
1 big parsnip peeled
1 fennel cut in big pieces

1 tablespoon of wholegrain sesame paste; 100 ml broth; the juice of half a lemon; a pinch of rock-salt; olive oil.

Process:

Place the washed and peeled vegetables in a low skillet with 400-500 ml water and a pinch of rock-salt. The water should cover the vegetables halfway.

Bring the vegetables to a good boil. Turn off the heat and place a clean folded kitchen towel between the lid and the pan. Leave the pan on the stove for about 15 min, until the vegetables are ready; they should be cooked but still firm.

Strain the veggies and keep the broth. Cut the parsnip and carrots lengthwise.

In a jar place a tablespoon of wholegrain sesame paste, 100 ml of the broth, some salt, and the juice of half a lemon.

Carefully shake the jar, opening and re-closing the lid to release the steam, if the liquid is still very hot. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and continue mixing until the ingredients have combined well.

Pour the dressing over the steamed vegetables. Add some extra olive oil if you wish and garnish with fresh coriander, black ground pepper and sesame seeds.