Spiced lamb with hummus

As a long-term hummus decorator, I love to add extra bits of spice, crunch and flavour to my chickpeas. This is perhaps taking it a bit too far, but the result is a wonderfully versatile dinner dish.

SERVES 2 as a main or 4 as a side/starter

FOR THE MARINATED LAMB

⚫ 1tsp dried mint

⚫ 1tsp dried oregano

⚫ 1tsp ground cinnamon

⚫ 1tsp sumac

⚫ 1tsp ground mixed spice

⚫ 2tbsp olive oil

⚫ Finely grated zest ½ lemon

⚫ 500g good-quality lamb

neck, ideally in 2 or 3 fillets, sinew removed

FOR THE HUMMUS

⚫ 400g tin chickpeas, drained (see Tip)

⚫ 50g tahini

⚫ 25g lemon juice

⚫ 1 garlic clove

⚫ 25g extra virgin olive oil

⚫ 25g ice

⚫ ¾tsp freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE HERB OIL

⚫ 10g flat-leafed parsley, chopped

⚫ 10g dill, chopped

⚫ 10g mint, chopped

⚫ Finely grated zest ½ lemon

⚫ 25g lemon juice

⚫ 25g extra virgin olive oil

⚫ 10g sesame seeds

1 Begin by marinating the lamb. Place all the ingredients with 1tsp salt in a bowl and massage into the lamb. Cover and marinate for 30min-1hr in the refrigerator. Remove 10-20min before cooking to come up to room temperature.

2 For the hummus, place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor and blitz on high speed until smooth and well combined. Mix the oil and ice together and gently pour into the hummus with the motor still running. Add the pepper and ¾tsp salt. Blitz and taste, adjusting if necessary. Continue to blitz for another 2min, until smooth.

3 To prepare the herb oil, mix together the parsley, dill, mint and lemon zest. I like to rub the zest in with the herbs to release the oils. Add the lemon juice and oil and mix together, seasoning a little. In a dry frying pan, toast the sesame seeds until fragrant and just beginning to colour. Add to the oil and set aside.

4 When ready to cook the lamb, preheat an ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 180°C fan (mark 6). Place the lamb neck in the hot pan and sear on all sides until golden brown (3-4min). Reduce heat and continue to cook lamb, turning regularly, until the central temperature is 65-70°C for medium-rare, or to your taste. Once the lamb is seared, you can place it in the oven for another 5-10min, but I prefer the char you get from panfrying. When cooked to your liking, remove from the pan and place on a plate. Cover with foil or another plate, then place a tea towel on top. Rest for 5-10min – the longer the better.

5 When ready to serve, spoon the hummus on to your serving platter.

I like to use the back of the spoon to create lots of swirls. Slice your lamb into rounds and arrange over the top of the hummus. Spoon over any resting juices. Finish with the herb oil and any extra herb leaves you fancy. Eat immediately with some flatbreads.

Tip

If you are looking for a silky and velvety-textured hummus, you can go one step further and remove the skins from the chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas, wash in warm water and rub them together between your hands. Continue until the papery skins come loose. They should float to the top of the water, so you can scoop them out. Drain and repeat until all the skins have been removed. This isn’t essential and really does take a fair amount of patience and time, but it does result in an amazing hummus if you can be bothered!