Green Pea Hummus with Fried Halloumi Cheese, Spiced Popped Lentils and Grilled Za’atar Pita

This green pea hummus is a deliciously bright and sweet twist on traditional hummus. Served with grilled za'atar-spiced pita, savory fried halloumi cheese, and crispy popped lentils, this dish makes for a fun shared vegetarian appetizer full of flavors and textures. Find the recipe and printable recipe PDF below! 

 
 

Yield: 8 portions

Method

For the Hummus:

  1. Add peas, water, and whole garlic cloves to a pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer gently for 5 minutes until fully cooked.

  2. Remove peas and garlic cloves and allow to cool. Reserving 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid for processing.

  3. In the bowl of a food processor, add the peas once they have cooled, whole garlic, tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cumin.

  4. With the machine running, add the ice in 3 additions making sure it fully emulsifies between additions. 

  5. Chill for 1 hour.

  6. Heat a grill on medium high.

  7. Heat a sauté pan with olive oil and fry the halloumi on both sides.

  8. Brush the pitas with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar. Grill on both sides and then cut into wedges.

  9. Plate the hummus, top with the popped lentils, fried halloumi, and pita wedges.


 

Ingredients

Hummus

2 cups green peas, shucked

3 cups water

3 ea. garlic cloves, whole

1 tsp. salt

½ cup tahini paste

½ cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground white pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 cup ice

8 slices Halloumi cheese, sliced 1-inch

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

8 ea. pocketless pita

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ za’atar spice

1 cup popped lentils (find the recipe here)

This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.