Rachel Belle is the Seattle-based creator & host of Your Last Meal,  host of Cascade PBS’s The Nosh with Rachel Belle, and a news radio feature reporter with 20 years broadcast journalism experience. In November, her first cookbook, Open Sesame, was released. We spoke to her about her new book, what she loves to cook and how she shops the farmers markets.  

How did your passion for food start? 

I’ve been excited about eating since I was a little kid! I loved getting dim sum with my family on Clement St in San Francisco just as much as I loved the all-you-can-eat salad bar at Sizzler. There was a fountain inside my hometown mall and whenever my mom gave me a penny to throw in, I always wished we’d have pizza for dinner! The only TV shows everyone in my family could agree on were PBS cooking shows, so I grew up watching a lot of Yan Can Cook and The Frugal Gourmet (so making my own food shows at PBS now is pretty special!). I started freelance food writing around 2001 and have been involved in food media, one way or another, ever since. But it took me 20 years to make it my entire career! 

You are published your first book with a focus on sesame. How did you decide to make this the focus? 

Jen Worick, then-publisher of Sasquatch Books, heard a tahini-focused episode of my podcast, Your Last Meal, and apparently my passion was so strong, she approached me about writing a sesame cookbook! My dad grew up in Israel, so my blood type is Tahini+, and sesame has always been one of my favorite flavors in Asian cooking. It’s an ingredient used in kitchens around the world, so the book has recipes with Indian, Mexican, southeast Asian and Middle Eastern flavors, just to name a few. 

What is something people should know about sesame?  

Not all tahini is created equal! Tahini is a single ingredient -- roasted sesame seeds -- but the quality of the seeds, how long they’re roasted, and how long the jar has been sitting on the grocery store shelf can affect the flavor. When you’re making something like hummus or a salad dressing, where tahini is the dominant flavor, a bitter tahini can really muck things up. In my book I have a guide for picking a great tahini and share my favorite brands.   

Sesame is such a versatile ingredient—what's your favorite way to use it in everyday cooking? 

It’s so easy to whip up a bright little sesame soy dressing to toss with a salad, slaw or cold soba noodles, to drizzle over a rice bowl or to use as a dipping sauce for frozen dumplings. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now!  

The workhorse of the cookbook is the Garlicky Tahini Sauce; it makes everything - from roasted vegetables to a shoe -  taste delicious.  

What’s the most surprising or unique sesame recipe you discovered while creating the book?  

I have a bit of a crush on the dessert section of my cookbook. Sesame is surprisingly versatile in sweets, complimenting both chocolate (Chocolate Miso Whoopie Pies with Tahini Cream) and fruit (Tahini Frangipane Apricot Galette). It’s good on ice cream (Chocolate Tahini Magic Shell), on waffles (Sesame Crusted Waffles with Tahini and Maple) and blended into a cold, frothy drink (Black Sesame Date Smoothie). What can’t she do? 

How do you approach cooking with seasonal ingredients—do you plan your meals around what’s available at the market, or do you adapt your recipes to what you find?  

I usually get excited about something seasonal at the market (Kalettes! Kabocha squash!), buy it & then figure out what to do with it. Honestly, most of my market veggies & mushrooms get the simplest treatment: sauteed or roasted with olive oil, salt and maybe a sprinkle of smoked paprika, ras el hanout or sumac. They’ll star in a grain bowl with a drizzle of Garlicky Tahini Sauce and a jammy seven-minute egg, get piled on top of soft scrambled eggs with a spoonful of chili crisp, and in the summer I love to top my pizzas with homemade tomato sauce, roasted zucchini slices and a drizzle of silky smooth, garlicky kale sauce.  

You enjoy taking some of those ingredients for outdoor cooking when you are camping. How do you decide what ingredients to bring for camping or hikes? 

I believe the best PB&Js are fished from the bottom of a backpack, so smooshed and flattened that jam is threatening to seep completely through the bread. But when it comes to produce, I’m seeking out things that won’t get smashed in my pack or cooler! There is nothing like an electric orange, sweet, crunchy carrot from the farmer’s market; they’re so fresh & juicy they don’t need to be peeled and they’ll last a few days at room temp on a backpacking trip. I always bring Washington apples (Cosmic Crisp is my favorite!) to dip in peanut butter. Summer berries (in a hard-sided container) are perfect scattered into morning oatmeal, cereal or pancakes. Kale travels well and can be added to a breakfast burrito, soups, or massaged with olive oil and salt and used as the base of a salad. I’m a big fan of Trail Salads. 

What would you like to focus on in the future?  

I have a lot going on right now! We’re filming season 2 of “The Nosh with Rachel Belle,” the food and drink storytelling show I host and co-produce with Cascade PBS & eight new episodes will begin airing in April. I have lots of great guests lined up for my podcast, Your Last Meal, from musician Ani DiFranco to Alton Brown and Al Roker; we just released an episode with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. I absolutely loved writing Open Sesame and hope to write more cookbooks, specifically an outdoor cookbook for hikers, campers and van lifers! 

You can meet Rachel Belle at the Magnolia Harvest Farmers Market on November 23 and the University District Farmers Market on December 7.