This hearty, meat-topped hummus will be your new go-to dinner.

By Eitan Bernath, The Nosher

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.

Note: This recipe will come out great no matter what, but if you do have a little extra time, I highly recommend skinning your chickpeas. Removing the little translucent skin from each bean might not seem like it’s worth it, but it’s what makes the difference between very good hummus and incredibly delicious, ultra-creamy hummus. And it’s not hard to do: if you hold one between your thumb and index finger, it should pop out of the skin pretty easily.

This recipe is reprinted with permission from Eitan Eats the World.

For the hummus:

2 cans (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, but reserve 1⁄2 cup drained chickpea liquid
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1⁄4 cup well-stirred premium tahini
2 large garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the spiced meat:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. (90/10) ground beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium red onion, sliced (about 2 cups)
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
1⁄4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. tamarind paste
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1⁄2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1⁄4 cup pine nuts

For serving:

Toasted warmed pita bread, for serving (optional)
Additional fresh parsley (optional)

For 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 five minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To prepare the beef, in a large skillet, heat one 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, six to seven minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Pour the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to caramelize, six to seven minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Return the beef back to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium.

Add one cup of 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, six to eight minutes. Add the chopped parsley and pine nuts and mix to combine.

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.

To read the complete July 2022 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.