Grilled broccolini with tahini and pistachios is a swoon

Aug 05, 2023

Some of the best meals I’ve eaten lately have been at what seems to be a bloom of refined, yet relaxed, Middle Eastern restaurants around the country. I’ve swooned over warm, pillowy pitas, impossibly creamy hummus, and sumptuously charred fish and lamb at Albi in D.C., Galit in Chicago and Shukette in New York, to name a few. As a nutritionist, I’m admittedly biased, but the vegetable dishes at these meals have excited me the most, because instead of feeling secondary to the proteins and breads, they were equally alluring, and made so using the most healthful ingredients.

This recipe is my way of bringing a taste of that home.

It captures one way the vegetables in these restaurants are commonly served: char-cooked and piled on top of a luxurious smear of labneh or yogurt, drizzled with a rich tahini or herb sauce, and showered with fragrant spices and herbs.

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It’s a template layered with textures, flavors and aromas that welcome variations galore.

I went with broccolini which, when grilled, becomes tender with lovely crisped edges on the florets. You could roast it instead, if you prefer, or swap in another vegetable, such as roasted carrots or slices of grilled eggplant or zucchini. Arrange it over a smear of labneh or Greek yogurt, drizzle with a lemony tahini sauce, then dust with ground sumac (you could substitute za’atar or finely grated zest from the lemon used in the tahini sauce). A sprinkling of toasted pistachios — you could also use pine nuts or sunflower seeds to make it nut-free — and a shower of fresh mint (or any tender herb), makes it an accolade-worthy dish, delightful as a light meal on its own, scooped with warm pita or as a spread of small plates.

Since you can plate the vegetable warm or at room temperature, it makes for a relaxed, shareable eating experience, which adds to the joy of the dish, and captures the essence of the Middle Eastern table.

Get the recipe: Grilled Broccolini With Tahini