To make Solomonov’s version, you start by putting whole, unpeeled garlic cloves—a whole head’s worth of them—in a blender with a good amount of lemon juice and blending it to a pulpy purée. You then press the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. The first time I tried this, I was convinced that it was going to be incredibly, inedibly pungent and sharp. A whole head of raw garlic was in that bowl, after all!
To my surprise, I smelled the liquid and tasted it and found that, while it had a powerful, sweet garlic aroma, it had none of the harshness or raw, hot garlic bite you’d expect. Clearly this was something that was going to need further investigating, but for the time being, I moved on, promising that I’d come back to it later.
Finishing the tahini sauce is as simple as adding some ground cumin and store-bought tahini—sesame paste is one of those things that are simply easier and better to get store-bought than to try grinding at home—and thinning it out with water.
Tahini behaves in an interesting way when you add liquids to it. Out of the jar, it’s pretty soft and flowing. As you add a little water or lemon juice, it’ll first seize up and turn thick like cement. Continue adding water, and it’ll eventually thin out into a pourable sauce. Whisking thoroughly between small additions of water ensures that the sauce is smooth, light, and lump-free.
