Hummus with Spiced Lamb

There was a delicious article in Eating Well this month that focused on chef Michael Solomonov's Israeli street foods. He had two recipes for hummus topped with good stuff, and that got me thinking about what else I could scrounge up to put over hummus. I immediately started imagining crumbles of lamb heavily spiced with Middle Eastern seasoning, onions, and parsley. That got me thinking about the spice mix I use for my Middle Eastern Spiced Kabobs. Just the thought of it got me excited, so I had to try it. I basically used my kabob recipe substituting ground meat for the chunks and sauteing it all in a pan. It was everything I had imagined it to be. While this would be fantastic to serve as a dip for chips, it really is quite delicious and satisfying as a main course. As you might imagine, it is quite filling. Actually, it is darn filling. Surprisingly so. I ended up uncomfortably full because it was so good, I had a second helping without realizing I was already full! Word to the wise. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Hummus with Spiced Lamb
Yield: 4 small main course servings

2-3 cups of hummus (served at room temperature)
1 TBS olive oil
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 cup minced onion
1 TBS minced garlic
4 tsp spice mixture (see below)
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsely
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Spice Mixture:
1 TBS ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground all spice
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Mix the spice mixture together in a small bowl. Heat a skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the oil, lamb, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring often. The dish tastes best if you can get little crispy edges on the ground meat. Once the meat is cooked through and the onion is soft, drain any excess fat. Add the spice mixture, salt, and parsley. Stir to evenly mix. Serve over room temperature hummus. Add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and garnish with pine nuts.