Harissa Lamb with Hummus

Today's post uses some of the beautiful meat from Farmer's Choice Foods who provided the meat to me as a member of their Food Blogger team.

Harissa lamb with hummus  serves 2

For the hummus:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 tbs rapeseed oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs tahini paste
salt

For the lamb:

350g lean diced lamb

1 tbs rapeseed oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbs harissa paste
seasoning
2 tbs toasted pine nuts (these can be bought ready toasted. If you can't get ready toasted ones, toss uncooked ones in a hot, dry frying pan for a few seconds until golden then tip from the pan into a bowl immediately so they don't continue to cook in the residual heat)
2 tbs finely chopped fresh mint

First of all, make the hummus – you’ll only be using half of it for this recipe but it keeps in the fridge for a few days and is lovely as a dip or in a wrap. Most blenders can't cope well with a half quantity of the mixture.

Put the chickpeas, oil, lemon juice and tahini in a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt as required. (If I was making it to serve just as hummus, I would add spices such as cumin, paprika and/or chilli, and possibly garlic, mint or parsley, according to my mood, but for this recipe all the spice is in the lamb and the creamy textured, lemony hummus provides a great contrast).

Put half the hummus in a serving dish, cover and set aside, and store the remainder as you wish. This stage can be done well in advance.  As an afterthought, I wish now that I had used the beautiful Lemongrass and Thyme Infused Rapeseed Oil sold by Farmer's Choice foods, which would have given the hummus an even more lemony tang - I'll certainly try this next time I'm making hummus.

 

 

To make the lamb topping, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the diced lamb over a high heat until well browned all over. Lift from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and cook until softened, then return the lamb to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until the lamb is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in the harissa paste and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Season then spoon the mixture over the hummus. Scatter with the pine nuts and mint.

 
Serve with flat breads and a green salad.

 

 

I added a couple more salads to make a really colourful meal - a carrot and some cucumber shaved into strips using a vegetable peeler and a sliced orange with red onion and raisins.