Lamb Kebabs with Green Chermoula & Fresh Hummus

Ingredients 

Hummus

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• ¼ cup tahini

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 small garlic clove

• ½ tsp salt

• 2–4 tbsp cold water or around 2 ice cubes

• Optional: ½ tsp ground cumin

Kebabs

• 1 lb ground lamb

• ½ onion, grated and squeezed of excess liquid (I usually just put it through a food processor)

• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or mint

• 1½ tsp cumin

• 1½ tsp coriander

• 1 tsp smoked or sweet paprika

• ½ tsp allspice

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• ½–1 tsp Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes

• 1¼ tsp kosher salt (use less if using fine/table salt)

• ½ tsp black pepper

Note: on the spices, if you ever have a spice blend/mix for Indian food like Meat Masala or Tandoori Blend, that goes super well in this too

Green Chermoula

• 1 packed cup fresh cilantro

• ½ packed cup fresh parsley

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• ½ tsp paprika

• ¼ tsp chili flakes or ½ small jalapeño

• Zest of ½ lemon

• 2–3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Instructions

Hummus

1. Add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cumin to a blender or food processor, and blend until mostly smooth

2. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, blending until creamy.

3. Taste and adjust with more lemon or salt, and add more tahini or water depending on what consistency and flavor you like (this recipe is super easy so it's really just about your taste profile so I usually keep adjusting these until I like it)

4. Top with some paprika, sumac, and high-quality EVOO

Kebabs

1. Combine everything in a bowl. Mix with your hands just until evenly combined.

2. Divide into 6–8 portions and form into long sausage shapes around skewers. If you don't have skewers (or you suck at making them, because it's not easy to skewer them tbh), just shape them into small oblong patties or even round burger shaped but make it thin so it cooks well on the grill

3. Refrigerate for 15–30 minutes if you have time; this helps them hold together.

4. Grill or cook in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat for about 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through. Ground lamb should reach 160°F / 71°C internally. I'll usually just go by how it looks and feels cause it can be hard to measure a temp on skewers.

5. Serve on a bed of hummus with some fresh lemon squeezed on top and some kind of sauce or chutney

Chermoula

1. Finely chop the cilantro, parsley, garlic, and chili or pulse them briefly in a food processor. I prefer food processor cause I think it just comes together more evenly

2. Stir in the cumin, coriander, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, or blend them in in the earlier step.

3. Gradually stir in the olive oil, or slowly emulsify it in the processor

4. Add more lemon for brightness, salt for intensity, or chili for heat per taste

Pickled Onion Spheres

See note in previous recipe