Best Tarator Almond Sauce Recipes

GRILLED CAULIFLOWER WEDGES WITH HERB TARATOR

Steps:

• Tarator
• Toast almonds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool. Set aside for serving.
• Blend garlic, dill, mint, tahini, and ⅓ cup water in a blender or food processor until a thick paste forms. Add lemon juice and blend again, adding an additional 1-2 Tbsp. water if sauce is too thick. It should be easily spreadable but not runny. Season with salt and lots of pepper.
• Cauliflower and assembly
• Remove outer leaves and trim stem from cauliflower so it sits flat. Cut cauliflower into 4 wedges.
• Whisk oil, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and a big pinch of salt in a large bowl to combine. Add cauliflower and coat in oil. The cauliflower can fall apart easily, so handle with care and use your fingers to work oil into the uneven surface.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat (if using a charcoal grill, bank most of the coals on one side of the grill). Place cauliflower, cut side down, on grate over hottest part of grill and grill, undisturbed, until char marks form, about 3 minutes (you can carefully lift to check, but try not to move too much). Turn over onto other cut side and grill, undisturbed, until grill marks form, about 3 minutes. Turn onto uneven floret side and slide over to cooler part of grill or reduce heat to low and cover with lid. Grill until tender (if a bamboo skewer easily slides through the thickest part, it's done), 10-15 minutes. (And if you don't have a grill, you can do this in a grill pan over high. Once pan is very hot, add cauliflower, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook both cut sides as above. When you turn cauliflower over onto uneven floret side, reduce heat to low and cover pan with foil to finish cooking.)
• To serve, spread some tarator onto individual plates or a platter. Arrange cauliflower wedges on top and dollop remaining tarator over. Scatter mixed tender herbs and almonds on top.

CRISPY RICE CAKES WITH TARATOR SAUCE

Steps:

• Tarator Sauce:
• Blend Almond Aioli, lemon juice, and garlic in a blender to combine; season with salt and pepper.
• Rice Cakes:
• Cook rice in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring often to separate grains and prevent sticking, 6 minutes. Drain well and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Transfer cooled rice to a medium bowl.
• Whisk egg, egg yolk, 1/2 cup tarator sauce, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a small bowl to combine and add to rice. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine; set aside.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium. Just as butter starts to brown, drop four 1/4-cupfuls of rice mixture into skillet and gently press down with a spatula to make 1/2"-thick cakes. Cook cakes until edges and bottoms are golden brown and crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack (they're only cooked on one side). Wipe out skillet and repeat process with remaining vegetable oil, butter, and rice mixture to make 4 more cakes.
• Toss herbs with olive oil and remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice in a clean small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Divide 1/2 cup tarator sauce among plates and top each with 2 cakes. Squeeze lemon wedges over and season with more salt. Top with herbs.

TURKISH SAUTEED SEA BASS WITH ALMOND TARATOR

Steps:

• Stir flour, paprika and red pepper in shallow dish. Season fish with salt. Coat with flour mixture, shaking off excess. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer fish to plates. Serve with Almond Tarator.

ALMOND TARATOR

Steps:

• Finely grind almonds in processor. Add breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup water, lemon juice and garlic and process until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add olive oil through feed tube. Mix in enough water to make thick creamy sauce. Season to taste with salt. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

BAKED SEA BASS WITH LEMON & HERBS (WITH TARATOR SAUCE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 230C/gas 8/fan210C. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, inside and out. Rub the skin with oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay three-quarters of the lemon slices on a heavy baking sheet and place the fish on top (see tip). Stuff the belly with the remaining lemon, the garlic and plenty of herbs, then season.
• Bake the fish for 30 minutes or until the flesh is opaque at its thickest part - slide a knife into the backbone area to heck.
• To serve, first gently peel the skin back, then lift off a chunk of the back fillet and a chunk of the belly to make one serving: each side should yield 2 portions. Use any lemon slices that are nicely brown, rather than jet-black, as a garnish.FOR THE TARATOR SAUCE
• Put the nuts in a food processor and whizz to a fine powder.Wet the bread, then squeeze out all the moisture. Crumble it into the nuts, add the garlic and whizz to combine thoroughly.
• Add the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a good grinding of pepper. Start pouring the olive oil in through the feeder tube, in a steady, fine trickle. Once the oil is incorporated, the sauce will be very smooth but rather solid, so add enough water (or stock) to let the sauce down to a thick, creamy consistency.
• Finally, taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning and add a little more lemon juice if necessary.

ROAST AUBERGINES WITH ALMOND TARATOR, FETA, DILL & GREEN CHILLI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Brush the aubergines with a little of the oil and put them on a baking sheet. Pierce each one a few times with a fork, then roast in the oven for 45 mins - 1 hr (it depends on the size of the aubergines), until completely tender.
• Meanwhile, make the tarator. Put the bread in a bowl and leave to soak in the milk for about 30 mins. Tip into a food processor with the nuts, garlic and lemon juice, and blend, gradually adding 85ml of the extra virgin olive oil. Season and add a little water if you want the mixture to be thinner (it shouldn't be thick but it shouldn't be as thin as single cream, either).
• Mash the feta very roughly with the yogurt in a bowl. Split the aubergines open along their length and season the insides. Put them on individual plates or a larger serving plate, and drizzle a little bit of the remaining oil inside each one. Spoon over the feta and yogurt mixture, then top with the tarator (the tarator can splash down over the sides of the aubergines), the sliced chillies and the dill.
• Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil over each aubergine and serve with flatbreads if it's a starter, or as they are if it's a side dish.

TARATOR (ALMOND SAUCE)

Steps:

• Place breadcrumbs, almonds, garlic, lemon juice and 4 tablespoons water in a food processor, and process until thick and smooth.
• With motor running, add oil in a thin stream. Add salt to taste and thin with remaining water if needed to make a thick creamy sauce.
• Place in bowl and sprinkle with paprika, if desired.