Baked Lebanese Kibbe Recipes

BAKED KIBBEH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 baking dish; set aside.
• To prepare the base meat mixture, add the bulgur wheat to a medium bowl and stir in the boiling hot water. Cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes then drain any excess water.
• Add the ground lamb and sirloin to a food processor and pulse until it forms a fine paste. Remove from food processor and place in a large bowl along with softened wheat, grated onion, and All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend. Use your hands to mix well. If mixture gets too sticky on hands, dip into a bowl of ice water.
• To make the filling, heat the clarified butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat, pine nuts, onion, and All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend and sauté until meat is cooked through about 9-11 minutes.
• To form the baked kibbeh, spread half of the base meat mixture out on the bottom of the baking dish. Next, spread the filling on top of the base layer. Finally, spread the remaining base meat mixture on top, pressing down a bit with wet hands to smooth the top.
• Slice kibbeh diagonally to form small diamonds. Optional: you can drizzle on additional melted clarified butter over the top at this point.
• Bake until meat is fully cooked, about 40-45 minutes. Serve with Cucumber Laban on the side.

BAKED LEBANESE KIBBE

Steps:

• Rinse the bulgur well, then cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain well.
• Put the drained bulgur, lamb, grated onion, cumin and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well with your hands to distribute the seasoning. With a wooden spoon, beat in about 1/2 cup ice water. The mixture should be smooth and soft.
• Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry gently, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and add 1/4 cup of the lamb mixture. Continue frying, allowing the meat to get crumbly and the onions to brown nicely, another 10 minutes or so. Stir in the pine nuts and taste. Let cool to room temperature.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then press half the remaining lamb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread half the onion-pine nut mixture over the meat. Add the rest of the meat to the pan, patting and pressing it with wet hands to make a smooth top. If desired, score the top with a sharp paring knife to make a traditional diamond pattern at least 1/2-inch deep.
• Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden. Spread with the remaining onion-pine nut mixture. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool, with a dollop of yogurt.

BAKED KIBBEH

Steps:

• 1. Place dry bulgur into large bowl and cover with water. Set aside to soak for 30-60 minutes until all the water is gone. (This will be used for the Kibbeh Neyyeh (raw mixture).
• 2. In the meantime, you're going to make the "stuffing."
• 3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add the pine nuts to the skillet and fry until lightly browned.
• 4. Add 1 pound of ground lamb or chuck and cook until the meat has started to lose its pinkness.
• 5. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients and cook until the meat is completely browned. Set aside.
• 6. Now you're going to make the Kibbeh Nayyeh (raw mixture).
• 7. Drain the bulgur and squeeze out any excess water. Combine all the Kibbeh Nayyeh ingredients, except the olive oil, in a bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Do not over work.
• 8. Spread half the Kibbeh Nayyeh (raw) mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Pat it down with your hand so that it covers the bottom of the pan evenly.
• 9. Spread the cooked "stuffing" on top of the bottom layer of Kibbeh Nayyeh.
• 10. Spread the remaining Kibbeh Nayyeh on top of the stuffing. You may want to tear off pieces, flatten them in your hand and place evenly on top. Then press flat with your hand.
• 11. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal lines through the Kibbeh to create a diamond pattern.
• 12. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Can be served at room temperature.

AUNT LOUISE'S BAKED KIBBEH

Steps:

• Place bulgur in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand until water is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir 1/4 cup onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, basil, and pepper into the bulgur. Add ground beef and 1/2 pound lamb; mix well. Divide mixture into 2 portions. Pat 1 portion over the bottom of a 12x7-inch baking dish.
• Pat the other portion into a matching rectangle on a piece of waxed paper. Set aside for the top.
• Cook and stir remaining 1/4 cup onion and 1/2 pound lamb in a skillet until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain excess grease from the skillet. Stir in pine nuts and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon lamb-pine nut mixture over the meat layer in the baking dish.
• Invert top layer over the filling. Peel off waxed paper. Score top layer into diamond shapes by cutting diagonally in both directions, leaving about 3 inches between cuts. Press a small dab of butter into the middle of each diamond.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and mint.