Hummus With Spiced Beef - Hummus Basar

Amarante

Tue, May 03 2022, 4:24 pm

This was very easy - obviously one can use any hummus instead of making it from this recipe. This reminded me of a Middle Eastern Sloppy Joe. LOL

Hummus With Spiced Beef - Hummus Basar

Excerpt From: Eitan Bernath - Eitan Eats the World

SERVES 4 TO 6

Hands down the best way to serve homemade hummus, in my opinion, is Israeli-style, with a heaping pile of sizzling spiced beef (basar in Hebrew) on top. The addition of this flavor-packed beef lends rich, savory notes to the hummus and quickly turns—one might say “beefs up”—this snacking dip into a hearty meal for the whole family. This is already a near-perfect combination of taste and texture, but it’s even better when heaped on warmed pita bread. To flavor the ground beef, I took inspiration from the meat-topped Syrian flatbread laham bajine, then added tamarind for a tangy note to contrast with the sweet and spicy flavors from the other ingredients.

HUMMUS

2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained but ½ cup chickpea liquid reserved
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup well-stirred premium tahini (I like Seed + Mill)
2 large garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

BEEF

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound (90/10) ground beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium red onion, sliced (about 2 cups)
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
“1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Warmed pita bread, for serving

1/ MAKE THE HUMMUS Place the chickpeas and reserved chickpea liquid, olive oil, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and black pepper to taste in the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2/ PREPARE THE BEEF In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until browned, crumbling the meat with the back of a spoon as you go, 6 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to caramelize, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute

3/ Return the beef back to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 cup water, the honey, tamarind paste, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt and black pepper to taste and stir to combine. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped parsley and pine nuts and mix to combine.

4/ To serve, spoon the hummus onto a large platter or serving bowl, make a well in the center, and pour the beef mixture into the well. Serve with the pita.