Oven-Roasted Vegetables with Tahini and Herbs with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   In a bowl, toss the vegetables, zucchini, pepper and orange pepper with the olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika and salt.

   Bowl
3. 3
   Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
4. 4
   Roast the vegetables, zucchini, pepper and orange pepper in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the corners are charred.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

To assemble

1. 5
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
2. 6
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. 7
   Mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic.
4. 8
   Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

   💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
5. 9
   Arrange the vegetables on a serving plate, drizzle the tahini sauce over them and sprinkle the cilantro and pomegranate seeds on top.

   Plate