Smoked Hummus and Grilled Halloumi

One of my favourite things to make on the Alchemy plancha is cheese. Yes, you read that correctly, cheese. Because most bbqs have a grated grill, you can’t usually make cheese on it, but, I firmly believe we’ve all been missing out. When I had my restaurant and food truck, I often used the flattop grill to melt my cheese before putting it on a sandwich or tortilla (cheesy, crispy tortillas are soo good, don’t believe me? Then check these out). What’s great about the the Alchemy plancha, is that it lets me grill up all kinds of cheese and get a golden, crispy outside and still have a melty gooey cheese pull. But, for this recipe, I decided to use a cheese that’s often made on the grill because it won’t melt, halloumi. If you’ve never had grilled halloumi, I definitely recommend giving it a try. Grilled halloumi browns and crisps up on the outside and stays semi-firm on the inside and is so salty and tasty.

I do have to say though, that the star of this dish ended up being the smoked hummus. It’s so easy to make, too. I loaded up a cast iron pan with canned chickpeas, garlic and olive oil and let that smoke for 20-30 minutes in the Alchemy smoker. Once those are done, they get blended up with lemon juice, tahini, Zaatar, salt and some more olive oil. The hummus is so smooth and garlicky with a light smoke flavour, and is served with the grilled halloumi, a tomato, onion and parsley salad, crispy chickpeas and toasted pita bread for dipping. This makes a great dish for entertaining or as an appetizer to any meal. If you want to find out how to make my Smoked Hummus and Grilled Halloumi, keep reading or jump to the full recipe.

Set smoker to 375F. Empty the cans of chickpeas into a cast iron pan, add the peeled cloves of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and place in the smoker for 20- 30 minutes.

Finely chop the red onion, tomato and parsley. Add to a bowl and season with the juice from one lemon, salt to taste, 1 tsp Zataar and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix and set aside.

Cut three lemons in half and place on the grill.

Remove the chickpeas from the smoker and place in the blender. Add a ¼ cup of olive oil, the juice from two grilled lemons.

Add to the chickpeas, 2-3 tbsp tahini, 1 tsp Zaatar and salt to taste and then blend until smooth, or desired consistency.

Slice your halloumi and place on the plancha. Add 1 tbsp of vodka and allow to cook off. Flip, and add another tbsp of vodka and allow to cook off. Remove once golden brown and crispy.

To plate, spread your smoked hummus on a platter in a circular pattern. Drizzle with olive oil and then the salad mixture on top.

Place the pieces of grilled halloumi on the hummus, rip up the grilled pita and place on the platter. Garnish with the gilled lemon pieces, sprinkle with crispy chickpeas and Zaatar.

And now for the full recipe...

Smoked Hummus and Grilled Halloumi

Serves 2-4 people

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

Hummus:

2 - 14 or 15oz cans of chickpeas

4-5 cloves garlic

¼ cup olive oil

2 lemons

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2-3 tbsp Tahini

1 tsp Zaatar

Salt to taste

Salad:

½ red onion

1 large hot house tomato

1 bunch parsley

1 lemon

Salt to taste

1 tsp Zaatar

2 tbsp olive oil

For plating:

Halloumi

1-2 tbsp vodka

1 grilled lemon

3 pitas

2-3 tbsp packaged crispy chickpeas (optional)

Zaatar

How to Make Smoked Hummus and Grilled Halloumi

Set smoker to 375F. Empty the cans of chickpeas into a cast iron pan, add the peeled cloves of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and place in the smoker for 20- 30 minutes.

Finely chop the red onion, tomato and parsley. Add to a bowl and season with the juice from one lemon, salt to taste, 1 tsp Zataar and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix and set aside.

Cut three lemons in half and place on the grill. Remove the chickpeas from the smoker and place in the blender. Add a ¼ cup of olive oil, the juice from two grilled lemons, 2-3 tbsp tahini, 1 tsp zaatar and salt to taste. Blend until smooth.

Add the pita to the plancha to grill on both sides.

Slice your halloumi and place on the plancha. Add 1 tbsp of vodka and allow to cook off. Flip, and add another tbsp of vodka and allow to cook off. Remove once golden brown and crispy.

To plate, spread your smoked hummus on a platter in a circular pattern. Drizzle with olive oil and then the salad mixture on top. Place the pieces of grilled halloumi on the hummus, rip up the grilled pita and place on the platter. Garnish with the gilled lemon pieces, sprinkle with crispy chickpeas and Zaatar.

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