Middle Eastern spiced meat over hummus just may be the heartiest hummus ever! Hushwee Hummus with Charred Tomatoes is basically a meal and I’m not mad about it. 
Happy Halloween! I know it’s technically not a Jewish holiday (and by technically, I mean not at all), but I just love any excuse to dress up. Especially as my favorite Jewish foods! But I’ll tell you, I’m feeling it today after a full Halloweekend of frolicking. #old. So today I’m definitely craving the comfort food, and this hearty hummus inspired by my friend Liz’s new cookbook does the trick!
According to Liz: “a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, hushwee is a humble, flavor-packed dish made of ground meat cooked in clarified butter then seasoned with cinnamon and toasted pine nuts. It’s fast enough to make for a busy weeknight dinner but special enough to serve during the holidays. In fact, one of my fondest Thanksgiving
memories is mixing it together with
mashed potatoes.” YUM. Like a middle eastern shepherds pie! (OMG must make that.)
Liz focuses on healthy but approachable food on her blog, The Lemon Bowl, with a mix of travel and family. I love how her recipes are simple but full of flavor and soul. And she’s so sweet! She recently came out with a whole line of e-cookbooks inspired by her ancestry (Jewish! Mexican! Italian! Syrian!) and I was pumped to try out her hushwee recipe from the Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner. I tweaked it slightly to make it kosher, and chose to serve mine over hummus because duh.
The earthy spices mix with tart charred tomatoes is just so good. I ate this all up!! Luckily, I don’t have to wear a unitard for another year. 🙂
Hushwee Hummus with Charred Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground lamb or sirloin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts I used almonds because that's what I had!
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup hummus
- Minced parsley chives, lemon zest as garnish
Instructions
- In a deep saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add the meat. Season with
- salt and pepper and begin browning the meat until most of the fat evaporates and meat is cooked, about 8 minutes.
- Drain most of the fat from the pan and discard. Add onions to the pan. Continue to sauté
- until translucent, about 7-9 additional minutes.
- Add garlic and all the spices and saute for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in toasted pine nuts before serving and garnish with fresh minced parsley to
- serve.
- To char tomatoes, toss tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a single layer on a foiled lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until they burst and are browned.
- I served mine over hummus with a drizzle of olive oil, charred tomatoes, parsley, chives and lemon zest.
- Notes: To toast pine nuts evenly, bake on a sheet pan or cookie sheet in a single
- layer in a 350-degree oven for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.
I love The Lemon Bowl!
Meat and hummus together? My husband will definitely eat this.
Yeah her blog is great! And this hummus is too 🙂