Creamy Roasted Kabocha Squash Hummus topped with spiced, fried ground lamb and a refreshing homemade lemon parsley sauce! A healthy Middle Eastern appetizer recipe perfect for autumn!
Preheat the oven to 200 C, or 400 F. Wash the squash, discard the seeds and cut into wedges. Arrange wedges on a tray lined with parchment paper, brush with some oil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tender.
Drain the chickpeas and rinse them thoroughly. Cut the lemon in half and juice it. Peel the garlic and chop the parsley coarsely. Place parsley, 1 garlic clove, half of the lemon juice, all of the honey, the vinegar and the 2 tbsp of olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape sauce into a little bowl and store in the fridge until the hummus is ready.
In a large pan, heat 1 -2 tsp of oil on medium-high heat and fry the lamb, adding 1/2 tsp of salt and a pinch of pepper. Separate the meat with a wooden spoon as it fries, and add the remaining spices, using only 1/2 tsp of cumin, to the meat as it starts to crisp up. Fry meat, until golden brown and crispy.
In a blender, puree the still warm squash with the chickpeas, the remaining garlic, cumin and lemon juice, as well as the tahini and1/2 tsp of salt. Puree until smooth, adding a splash of hot water, or olive oil, if the mixture is too thick still. Season to taste and divide between 2 bowls.
Serve hummus topped with lamb, sprinkle sunflower seeds on top and drizzle with the lemon parsley sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe inspired by Ottolenghi : Jerusalem