This typically refers to hummus that is garnished with hot, spiced ground beef, often with the addition of pine nuts. The appeal of this dish is obvious, with the hot beef fat exerting a “bad” influence on the normally wholesome hummus. To my knowledge, the name isn’t geographically precise, but eating a bowl of it on a winter’s night in Jerusalem is one of the best things ever.
Serve this spiced beef condiment over Hummus Techina.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add ground beef, garlic cloves, and pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until the beef is browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add baharat and season with salt. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve over 1 recipe Hummus Techina.
Excerpted with permission from ZAHAV by Michael Solomonov. Copyright © 2015 by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Photography © 2015 by Mike Persico. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Chef Michael Solomonov was born in Israel and grew up in Pittsburgh. He and Steven Cook are the co-owners of CookNSolo Restaurants, home to some of Philadelphia's most distinctive culinary concepts, including Zahav, Federal Donuts, Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, Rooster Soup Co., and Goldie. They are a combined four-time James Beard Award Winners, including the 2016 "Best International Cookbook" and "Book of the Year" awards for their first cookbook, Zahav, and a 2011 "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic" win for Solomonov and who in May, was named the 2017 JBF's "Outstanding Chef".
Michael Solomonov Introduces Baharat
Baharat (the word is Arabic for spices) most commonly refers to a Middle Eastern spice blend of warm flavors that I think of as Turkish pumpkin pie spice. It has all the usual suspects, such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves, but with hints of cardamom, coriander, and cumin that lend an exotic quality. Baharat is available at good spice shops or Middle Eastern markets.
