Hummus with Lamb and Pine Nuts with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Hummus

1. 1
   Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water with the baking soda.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Drain, cover with plenty of unsalted water and cook about 1 to 1½ hours, skimming off the foam and skins from time to time, until the chickpeas are very soft and crush easily between your fingers.

   ColanderStovePot

   💡Fully cooked chickpeas crush between your fingers with no resistance at all. Chickpeas that stay a little firm make a grainy spread, and no amount of tahini will fix it.

   💡A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water too, not just in the soak, softens the skins even more.
3. 3
   Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.

   Colander
4. 4
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
5. 5
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. 6
   Mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt.
7. 7
   Transfer the tahini sauce to a food processor, add the chickpeas, still warm, and process 3–5 minutes, until it is completely smooth.

   Food processor

   💡Grind the chickpeas while they are still warm: warm chickpeas grind into a smoother cream than cold ones.
8. 8
   Gradually add the water, until the hummus is creamy and airy, and a little thinner than the texture you want: it thickens as it stands.

   💡Ice water, not ordinary water, gives hummus an airy, pale texture: the tahini emulsifies with it like mayonnaise.
9. 9
   Spread on a plate, make a well in the center and add the paprika and parsley.

For the Hot Topping

1. 10
   Heat the butter in a wide pan over medium heat.

   StoveFrying pan
2. 11
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 12
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
4. 13
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
5. 14
   Add the baharat and fry another 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 15
   Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat 2–3 minutes, stirring, until they start to turn golden.

   StoveFrying pan

   💡Toast over medium heat and keep things moving: nuts, pine nuts and spices go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Transfer to a plate right away, since the hot pan keeps toasting.
2. 16
   Place the hot topping in the center of the hummus, sprinkle the pine nuts over it and serve with warm pita.