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Hummus with lamb

This luxuriously smooth and silky hummus is taken to the next level when topped with seared leg of lamb and eaten with hot fresh pita.
Course: Main Course, mezze, Side Dish
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: chickpeas, hummus, lamb
Author: Dahlia

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients

For the hummus

  • 3 cups dry chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup tahina
  • 3 lemons juice
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 small green chili pepper optional
  • 1 tbsp cumin or to taste
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper

For the lamb

  • leg of lamb steak or other quick-cooking cut
  • allspice
  • cinnamon
  • cardamom
  • Aleppo pepper
  • olive oil
  • black and white pepper
  • splash white vinegar or other vinegar you have on hand

Instructions

For the hummus

  • Wash chickpeas and soak in lots of water overnight. 
  • Bring to a boil in a pot with baking soda, simmer over medium heat until softened, about an hour. The baking soda helps soften the skins for smoother hummus. Skim off foam as needed and skins was needed. 
  • Set aside a cup of the water you boiled hummus in. Once the water in the pot cools, I like to agitate it so the skins rise to the top of the water then I skim off the skins and repeat. The more skins you remove the smoother your hummus will be but this step isn't totally necessary. Drain off remaining water.
  • While chickpeas are still warm, blend in food processor with the remaining ingredients until smooth. It should be loose and silky, not pastey. If you need to loosen the hummus add the chickpea water a tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency. 

For the lamb

  • Cut lamb into small cubes and toss in spices. Let marinate half an hour.
  • Fry over high heat in an oil with high smoke point or ghee, until you get a nice sear. 
  • In individual bowls, add hummus and make a well in the middle. Add lamb in the well, making sure to pour on lamb drippings.
  • Top with toasted nuts and parsley and serve with warm pita as a simple meal or mezze.

Notes

I did not include measurements for the lamb, as I usually only use part of the hummus batch to serve with lamb. To serve two as a main course I would use a bit less than 1 lb of meat. 
If not serving with lamb, top with whole chickpeas, nuts, parsley, sumac or paprika, and always with a healthy glug of olive oil.