Tehina Sauce

Use this rich and creamy tehina (also called tahini) sauce to make Solomonov's Hummus Tehina, or drizzle over meats or vegetables.

1 head garlic
¾ cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
1½ tsp. sea salt
2 generous cups tehina (preferably Soom Tehina)
½ tsp. ground cumin

Break up the head of garlic with your hands, letting the unpeeled cloves fall into a blender. Add the lemon juice and ½ tsp. of the salt. Blend on high for a few seconds until you have a coarse purée. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes to let the garlic mellow.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large mixing bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add the tehina to the strained lemon juice in the bowl, along with the cumin and 1 tsp. of the salt.

Whisk the mixture together until smooth (or use a food processor), adding ice water, a few Tbsp. at a time, to thin it out. The sauce will lighten in color as you whisk. When the tehina seizes up or tightens, keep adding ice water, bit by bit (about 1½ cups in total), whisking energetically until you have a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce.

Taste and add up to 1½ tsp. more salt and cumin if you like. If you’re not using the sauce immediately, whisk in a few Tbsp. of ice water to loosen it before refrigerating. The tehina sauce will keep a week refrigerated, or it can be frozen up to a month.

Makes about 4 cups.