Spiced Lamb Houmous with Feta, Pomegranate & Pine Nuts
This is the type of meal I could just eat and eat and eat. It’s also a great dish to serve at a dinner party in the middle of the table for everyone to get stuck into. I recommend serving with a zingy sumac tomato salad and some homemade garlic flatbreads to scoop everything up with.
Serves 4
For the lamb:
1. Fry one finely chopped onion in a little olive oil until lightly golden. Add 500g of good quality lamb mince until browned. Add one roughly chopped aubergine and a couple of crushed garlic cloves.
2. Next add 1 tbsp of ras el hanout and 1 tsp each of cumin, fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, ground ginger, turmeric and a pinch of hot chilli powder. Stir until fragrant before seasoning and adding 1 tbsps of pomegranate molasses. If the mince is looking a little dry add a splash of water and reduce until syrupy.
My go-to houmous recipe:
1. Rub the skins off a tin of chickpeas between two tea towels.
2. Add to a saucepan with enough water just to cover the chickpeas with a tsp each of salt and cumin. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas to a food processor with a couple of tbsps of the chickpea water, plenty of lemon juice (I use about two lemons worth) and lots of crushed garlic and seasoning. Add 50g tahini and three ice cubes before blitzing until smooth and creamy. Taste and correct the seasoning as required adding more lemon or garlic to taste.
For the flatbreads:
1. Mix 175g self-raising flour with 1/2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add 175g natural yoghurt until the dough comes together.
2. Knead the dough briefly until smooth and leave to rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a griddle pan until very hot and shape the flatbreads into the desired size. Fry on each side until they puff up and when still warm, brush with extra virgin olive oil mixed with crushed garlic cloves. Season and bring to the table.
For the sumac tomato salad:
1. Finely chop a red onion and mix with chopped tomato, cucumber and a green and red pepper.
2. Add plenty of mint and a dressing made from extra virgin olive oil, sumac, lemon and seasoning.
To serve:
Spread the houmous over a large platter then sprinkle over the lamb, chopped parsley and mint, pomegranates, crumbled feta,
pomegranate molasses and toasted pine nuts.