Make the hummus by draining 125g of preserved grilled red peppers from a jar and putting them in the bowl of a food processor. Add 4 cloves of roasted garlic or 2 tsp of garlic paste, then reduce to a purée.
Drain a 400g can of chickpeas, set a handful aside, then add the rest to the purée, process once again, this time adding 50ml of olive oil, a little salt and 2 generous pinches of ground Aleppo pepper or other ground chilli. (Use paprika if you prefer something more smoky.) Remove from the bowl with a rubber spatula and set side.
Warm a griddle pan or barbecue. Lightly oil 2 large lamb steaks, each weighing about 200g-250g, and season well. When the grill is hot, brown the outside of the lamb steaks, pressing the meat down on the grill with a palette knife or heavy weight, then turn and brown the other side. Season with a few pinches of za’atar and continue cooking until the lamb is done as you like it.
Spoon the red pepper hummus on to 2 plates, then place the lamb on top. A few sprigs of thyme is a fitting finish if you have some. Serves 2. Ready in 30 minutes.
I find that once the outside is nicely browned on both sides, the inside is usually done to a pleasing rose-pink, requiring no extra cooking, but test the progress of the lamb as you go until it is as you like it.
This makes a runny, almost sauce-like hummus. If you prefer something firmer, use a further can of chickpeas.
It’s a bit of a drag, but rubbing the skins from your chickpeas before you process them gives a smoother hummus.
If you don’t have za’atar to hand, mix a little dried thyme with an equal amount of sesame seeds and grind together in a spice mixer. Not as fragrant, but a handy substitute.
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