Creamy Pine Nut & Tahini Sauce (Tarator Sauce)

Use this all-purpose Middle Eastern sauce as a dip for pita or raw vegetables or thin it with olive oil or water and spread over fish before baking.

• 1 cup pine nuts
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 6 Tbs. tahini (sesame seed paste), well stirred
• 4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
• 1 Tbs. olive oil; more to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• Cayenne (optional)
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro for garnish

In a food processor, purée the nuts and garlic until they form a paste. Add the tahini and 4 Tbs. lemon juice and purée. With the machine running, mix in cold water 1 Tbs. at a time until the sauce is thinned to the consistency of sour cream (you’ll need 1/3 to 1/2 cup water). Add 1 Tbs. olive oil (or more) for a slightly more spreadable consistency. Season with salt and pepper and another 1 to 2 Tbs. lemon juice if you like. If you’d like some heat, add cayenne to taste. This sauce thickens as it sits; add cold water as needed to thin it. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve at room temperature.