Humus with Spiced Lamb is one of my favorite late spring meals. It’s a snap to make, it’s so nourishing but it feels like a special event when served with fresh spring cucumbers, radishes, and herbs. It’s just as good hot as at room temperature, so it’s also an excellent appetizer or potluck dish.
We started eating Humus with Spiced Lamb at a local restaurant, Park Grill Mediterranean, in Michigan. This Grosse Pointe eatery made it with the perfect spice blend. I had not thought about this dish since we moved to New York, but then my oldest came home from a friend’s raving about how he had lamb and humus for dinner. I am competitive about silly things like this, also, my mouth was already watering, so I set to work to replicate our Grosse Pointe favorite.
One final note, we’re in peek end-of-the-school-year activities, so the fact that it only takes 10-15 minutes to get this meal from fridge to table is really important. Along side other quick dinners like Creamy Sausage Pasta, LBD Tofu, and Egg Boats. Happy sprint to the end of the school year to all those who celebrate!
Notes
Note about Substitutions and Add-Ins
The spices here are ones you’d use to make Kofta. That said, so much of this recipe can be changed to accommodate what you have in the spice cabinet. Don’t have sumac?–Use turmeric or cumin. Don’t have pine nuts?–use walnuts. Want to make it fancy?–Make your own humus and pita! Want to make it fast, use what you can find at your grocery store. Love onions and have an extra 10 minutes?–Instead of grating your onion, slice it into slivers and sauté them.
Key Ingredients
ground lamb
humus
onion
ground sumac and/or other spices
Humus with Spiced Lamb – Recipe
Serves 3-4 as a main, 6-8 as an appetizer. Takes about 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients
Spiced Lamb
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts (or chopped walnuts) OPTIONAL
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking oil
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 small/medium onion, grated or minced (purple, yellow, or sweet)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac (or cumin or turmeric)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of cayenne or Aleppo pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to finish
- 2 tablespoons raisins (or dried yellow raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries)
TO SERVE
- 1 cup of your favorite hummus
- warmed Pita, white rice, pita chips, or other flat bread for serving
- fresh herbs
- pickles and fresh veggies
Step One
Grate or finely mince a small/medium onion and a clove of garlic. Set aside.
Step Two
If using nuts, warm a large skillet over medium-low heat, add nuts and toast for 2-3 minutes (stirring frequently) until they begin to take on color and start to smell nutty. Remove them from heat and transfer to a small bowl. No need to wipe out the pan, just return it to burner.
Step Three
Increase the heat under the skillet to medium high and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and allow it to get hot. Once hot, add all of the spices and cook until they become fragrant (about 30 seconds). Next, add the onion, garlic, lamb and salt to the spice mixture. Turn the heat down to medium low but let the meat brown in place for 1-2 minutes so that it takes on some color. After it’s started to brown, add the raisins and stir to break up larger pieces of meat. Cook until it reaches desired doneness. Test for seasoning and add more salt if desired. Remove from heat and set aside to cool just a bit.
Step Four
Spread humus over about an 8-inch circle on a plate, and spoon the cooked spiced lamb mixture and any accumulated juices over the humus. Sprinkle nuts and chopped herbs over top.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the fridge. Best the first day. Makes an excellent stuffed pita for lunch.