Meat with Hummus

Remember I mentioned in previous posts that I often get bored of my recipes? Remember I mentioned that I often crave recipes that are different and exciting?

Meet this recipe! It says different and exciting all over it J

I first encountered this appetizer at my friend, Aidel’s house over Rosh Hashana (holiday celebrating the beginning of the Jewish calendar). It’s just like Aidel to have funky and inspiring food on her table. She is a food guru, after all! When I asked her for the recipe, she told me that she had eaten it in a restaurant and merely replicated the dish. I wasn't about to start jotting down a recipe that she had created from her own taste buds.

A couple months down the line, we received an invitation from a lovely family in Ramat Beit Shemesh, the Rapps, to come join them for Shabbos lunch. When we sat down to our meal, she also placed down the beautiful and exotic meat and hummus dish. When I saw Sara Rapp during the week, I asked her if she by any chance had the recipe to the meat and hummus appetizer. I was waiting for her to say something like, “Uh I do, but I’m not allowed to share it with you.” I was glad when she carelessly replied, “Sure. I’ll send a picture text.”

Now we have it, the Meat and Hummus recipe. It’s super easy, super non-traditional, and super delicious!

I would advise you to not serve this recipe to picky guests. I once served it to a table full of seminary girls and they just started the dish down! Seriously. However, we have also served it to couples who loved it as much as we do.

There are 2 different variations of this recipe. The first variation has more of Sephardi taste to it. The second variation tastes like Sharma. Additionally, we have made this recipe with both chopped chicken and chopped turkey and it tasted just as good.

Lastly, I must give credit to  Lanee Layman. She was the one who created the recipe that Sara Rapp had sent me.

Meat with Hummus:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 8- 12 minutes

Yields: 6 servings

Version #1:

Ingredients:

1 large onion

Olive oil

½ -1 pound chopped meat

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin

Sweet chili (optional)

Hummus

Instructions:

1.       Fry chopped onion in olive oil until it is translucent

2.       Add chopped meat. Spice generously and brown until it is cooked through

3.       Optional- add some sweet chili to the meat

4.       Spread the hummus on a platter, top with the meat and serve as a starter with plenty of challah

Version #2:

Ingredients:

1 large onion

Olive oil

½ to 1 pound chopped meat

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp all-spice (can substitute for cinnamon and nutmeg)

¼ tsp cinnamon

Hummus

Instructions:

1.       Fry chopped onion in olive oil until it is translucent

2.       Add chopped meat. Spice generously and brown until it is cooked through

3.       Spread the hummus on a platter, top with the meat and serve as a starter with plenty of challah