Sesame seed oil is a special ingredient for innovative recipes, especially for those who have a passion for good food and wine and love to discover new flavours every day. This food is becoming more and more popular amongst those in search of new, tasty products for updating traditional recipes and dressing dishes in an original way. The oil’s flavour is similar to that of roast sesame seeds: a strong taste that gives an added aroma to dishes and makes recipes not only delicious but also easier to digest. The Sesamum Indicum plant originates from Africa and distant India, but sesame seeds provide a flavour that is central to many European dishes. Here are some ideas for you to try cooking; some are Mediterranean in tone, while others have an ethnic, spicy fragrance.

• Brown rice with vegetables: simply stir-fry mixed vegetables, cut into strips, with sesame seed oil, shallots, salt, pepper and tumeric to accompany a dish of plain boiled brown rice.
• Aromatic fennel: fennel sliced finely and dressed with black olives, oranges, anchovies, bean-sprouts, pink pepper, a pinch of coarse salt and a dribble of sesame seed oil. Imaginative, light combinations of flavours.
• Seared tuna: a thick slice of tuna seared on the griddle, dressed with an emulsion of sesame seed oil, soy sauce, orange rind and crushed pistachio nuts. A splendid dish which combines oriental influences with the taste of the local tradition.
• Salad: lettuce and chicory leaves are the perfect combination with diced goat’s cheese, roast walnuts or almonds, a dribble of balsamic vinegar glaze and a few drops of sesame seed oil. A wonderful blend of flavours that go very well together.

Broaden your culinary horizons by trying out recipes and combinations with sesame seed oil; it will be a way of rediscovering the pleasure of cooking, seeking out special ingredients of choice quality.