QUICK AND EASY HUMMUS WITH MEAT | KNAFEH/KUNAFA DESSERT (Middle Eastern Recipes!)
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Hummus with Meat
CHICKPEAS:
We used two cans of chickpeas, which we placed in a bowl. To remove the skins, we soaked the chickpeas in a bowl of water and gently rubbed them until the skins came off.
Blanch the peeled chickpeas in boiling water and wash till it cools down.
In a food processor/blender, add the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil,23 squeeze of lemon, salt, ice cubes.
Process it for 4 minutes or more till creamy consistency while adding ice cubes every 30 seconds ( When making hummus, adding ice cubes can transform its texture. As you blend all the ingredients, the ice cubes release tiny air bubbles, similar to the process of beating egg whites or churning ice cream. This action allows the blender to break down the ice and infuse the hummus with air, resulting in a light and fluffy consistency.)
In between you can taste and adjust salt, lemon, tahini and olive oil per your taste preference.
Mix it through until it becomes smooth and silky.
MEAT:
Put a little olive oil on the pan
sauté the onions & garlic until cooked
add the the bit sized meat; we used ribeye steak but you can also use another tender cut of beef
season with a pinch of 7-spice, salt and pepper to taste
BREAD:
It’s best served with pita bread so you can also heat that up
TO ASSEMBLE:
Put a bed of hummus on the plate, add the meat on the center, garnish with sumac olive oil and chopped parsley.
Optional: You can also add roasted pine nuts if available.
Knafeh or Kunafa
Sweet Syrup:
Place a saucepan under low heat
add 6 tbsps - Water, 3 tbsps - White Sugar, 6 tbsps - honey. mix well until sugar is dissolve
Once dissolved, put the heat on medium and continue stirring until the mixture boils. ( It is very important to dissolve the sugar first before the mixture comes to a boil so that the sugar will not crystallize once the syrup cools down)
Set Aside
Separate the strands of shredded phyllo pastry by hand into smaller pieces. Add soft or melted butter and gently rub the butter into the strands of the phyllo pastry until all strands are covered with butter.
Knafeh Dough:
Brush butter thoroughly on a round Knafeh pan or any shallow cooking pan.
Put half of the buttered shredded dough on the pan just until it is fully covered and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan.
Press the dough downward and along the side to make a perfect round compact dough.
Then add the chopped pistachio on top of the dough leaving out 2 cms. from the side.
Spread the cream cheese on top of the pistachio and then add grated mozzarella cheese. Make sure to leave 2 cm from the side to avoid the fillings oozing out of the dough when cooked.
Add the remaining half of the Knafeh pastry.
You can either bake this or cook it on the stove until both sides are golden brown.
Once cooked, you can now pour the sweet syrup evenly on top and serve hot.