For some people, this is a holiday weekend. And for everyone in America, the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is set for Wednesday. Let’s hope that all will go smoothly and a new chapter in our nation’s history will get off to a good start.
In this issue, I’m combining three features of CulinaryWoman. I’m bringing you a profile of a food entrepreneur who certainly ranks with our CulinaryWomen of the Week. And she’s published a cookbook that I know will interest you.
Everything You’ve Wondered About Tahini
I first heard about Amy Zitelman from Alon Shaya and Zach Engel, when they were a team at Alon’s award-winning restaurant, Shaya, in New Orleans.
I was working on a story about tahini moving into the mainstream, and they told me that they purchased Soom Tahini from Amy’s Philadelphia-based company.
It turned out that Amy was one of FORBES’ 30 Under 30, a group of outstanding young entrepreneurs. We connected for my story, she sent me some delicious samples of Soom tahini, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since.
Late last year, I was delighted to hear about Amy’s new cookbook, The Tahini Table. The subtitle is, “Go Beyond Hummus With 100 Recipes For Every Meal” and she certainly fulfills that promise in the cookbook.
Tahini is kind of a wonder ingredient. It has a rich flavor that easily belongs in the nut category, but it’s made from sesame seeds, so it can be eaten by people with nut allergies. While good tahini can be a little pricey, a little tahini goes a long way.
But, many people have no idea what to do with tahini, once they used a few tablespoons out of a jar. They put it in the fridge and forget about it until months later. Amy’s cookbook will help jolt you out of that lethargy — although she’s the first to admit she had some trepidation about her subject.
“I was very apprehensive to write a cookbook,” she says. “Not because I didn’t believe in tahini’s validity as a subject, but because I wasn’t confident in my own abilities to write a cookbook.”
But Amy found a co-author, Andrew Schloss, and a photographer, Jillian Guyette, who were able to help translate her ideas into recipes and pictures. “I surrounded myself with people that are better than me” just as she does at Soom.
One of the reasons she felt stymied is that she grew up without recipes as a guide. “My mom is very much a cook by hand type,” she says. “Even if she had a recipe, she didn’t follow it from start to finish. I still find myself making mistakes in reading a recipe.”
Tahini Basics
Before anyone dives into her book, Amy has some advice about tahini. “The most important component of tahini is that it’s fat. That’s what allows it to be so transformative in a recipe,” she says.
Often, when consumers buy a new jar of tahini, they notice that it has separated into a thick paste at the bottom, with a slick of oil on top.
That’s perfectly okay, she says. Amy’s trick with a new jar is to open it, remove the safety seal, close it, and give the jar a good shake. “The fresher it is, the easier it is for the oil to blend back in,” she says.
Once it becomes re-emulsified, take a knife or a fork and give the jar a good stir.
Cooks need to keep in mind that tahini has a discrepancy between the weight of the paste and the oil at the top, so that blending is important. And because her products do not have preservatives, it’s good to use them up once they’re opened.
“Tahini does have a life of its own,” she says. “Three-quarters of a jar might be different for me than for someone who lets it sit longer.”
She says tahini needs to be viewed in two ways. The natural flavor is more dominant when it comes to sweet dishes, like cookies, cakes and fillings. When used in savory dishes, it becomes more of a supporting player.
One of her favorite starter recipes in the book is tahini sugar cookies (you’ll find it on Page 205). “It’s a very simple cookie, a cross between a shortbread and a peanut butter cookie,” Amy says.
A Tiring 2020
The Tahini Table has reached book stores after Amy, like many food purveyors, experienced a tumultuous 2020. But, to her excitement, Soom Foods reached its revenue goal, up 30 percent over 2019 (she does not publish her dollar figures).
That happened despite the fact that two-thirds of her business comes from restaurants. “COVID devastated the restaurant industry,” Amy says. Her restaurant customers are mainly located between New York City and Washington D.C., which both imposed second quarter restrictions in response to the pandemic.
However, Soom benefited tremendously from online sales. Consumers can order directly from the company and its products are found on Amazon and other retailers’ sites. Interest in tahini soared during the pandemic.
In a typical month in 2019, there were about 6,000 Google searches for tahini, she says. In 2020, search requests hit 18,000 during April and May, and have remained high.
The pandemic also interrupted the in-person tour she had hoped to do for the book, with events planned at some of Soom’s restaurant partners. Instead, like many authors, she did virtual events, which she says “have really been a blessing for me.”
Amy says she couldn’t predict how many people might have turned out for a traditional events. Sometimes, she has spent an hour in grocery store and only talked to five or 10 people.
“Now, I’m able to stand in my kitchen, and share with 10 or 40 or 200 people. It’s amazing,” she says. (You can find her on Instagram @amyzitelman, and Soom is at @soomfoods.)
But, the remote events sometimes come on top of a busy work day, which includes time in her office, at the warehouse, making dinner for her two-and-a-half year old son, and spending time with her husband. “I like it a lot, but it is so tiring,” Amy says.
She hopes that her book teaches readers that tahini can move far beyond traditional Middle-Eastern dishes.
“It’s North African. It’s Asian. It can be substituted for familiar American ingredients,” she says. “It isn’t confined to one time of day. It can be savory, or sweet.”
If you’re interested in buying Amy’s book, consider ordering it from the Joseph Fox Bookshop in Philadelphia, which has been around since 1951. They will be happy to ship you a copy.
On Wednesday, Order From Your Favorite Restaurant
Despite the pandemic, Joe Biden wanted to proceed with his inauguration because people needed to celebrate the country’s new chapter.
His swearing in is set for Wednesday, but behind security fences that sadly will keep most people out.
But Chef Jose Andres has an idea. On Wednesday, order carry out from your favorite place. It will serve two purposes: marking the inauguration and helping places that truly need a lift.
Who’s in? Make Wednesday your carry out day this week (or one of them).
PS: I’m a supporter of World Central Kitchen. This weekend, they’ve served thousands of meals to National Guard troops dispatched to DC, many handed out by Chef Jose himself.
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Stay safe, wear a mask, and see you next Sunday!