Lebanese Kebbe Recipes

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.

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.

KIBBEH RECIPE (HOW TO MAKE KIBBEH)

Steps:

• Cover a fine mesh strainer with a light cloth (a cheesecloth, if you have one). Add the bulgur wheat in, then place the strainer into a bowl filled with water. Let the fine bulgur wheat soak in the water for 15 minutes, then pull the cloth, holding the bulgur, and squeeze all the water out. You may do this a couple of times until you are sure the bulgur is rid of water. Set aside for now.
• Now make the kibbeh (the actual dough that you will later use to form the kibbeh shells). Put the onion, ground beef, spices and pinch of salt into the bowl of a large food processor. Process until the meat is very finely ground almost into a paste. Transfer the meat mixture into a large bowl and add the bulgur wheat. Use damp hands to combine the bulgur with the meat mixture to make a dough. Cover and refrigerate until later.
• Now make the filling. Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet or frying pan. Saute the onion until just golden, then add the ground beef. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the meat is fully browned. Add the toasted pine nuts, the spices, and the salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Remove the kibbeh dough from the fridge.
• To stuff the kibbeh, you need to have damp hands. Place a small bowl of water next to you. Prepare a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
• With both the bowl of kibbeh dough and the filling near, you can begin stuffing the kibbeh. Dampen your hands with some water, take a handful of the kibbeh dough (about 2 tbsp or so) and form into somewhat of an oval-shaped disc in the palm of one hand. Use your finger to make a well in the middle of the disc, and gradually hallow the disc out to make a larger well or hole for the filling. Using a spoon, add about 1 tablespoon of the filling. Seal the dough on top and, using both hands, carefully shape it into an oval (football-type shape). Place the stuffed kibbeh on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat the stuffing steps until you run out, be sure to have damp hands throughout.
• Chill the stuffed kibbeh for 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 350 degrees F (you'll want the oil hot enough that you can see some gentle bubbling, but not too hot where it will burn the kibbeh shells). Deep-fry the kibbeh in the hot oil, in batches being carefully not to crowd them, until the kibbeh shells are brown (about 5 minutes or so). With a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully remove the kibbeh and place them on a pan lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat until you have fried all the stuffed kibbeh.
• Serve hot or at room temprature with tahini sauce, tzatziki sauce or plain Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

KIBBEE LEBANESE STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square baking dish.
• Soak bulgur in hot water until the bulgur expands and cools, about 10 minutes. Place the bulgur, mint, allspice, pepper, cinnamon, salt, onion, parsley, and lamb in a food processor. Process until well mixed, about 1 minute. Divide the lamb mixture and layer half in the baking dish, creating a large patty. Sprinkle pine nuts over the meat, then layer the remaining lamb on top, patting firmly. Cut the kibbee into 1 1/2 inch squares.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the lamb is no longer pink in the middle, 30 to 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

KIBBEH WITH YOGURT-GARLIC SAUCE (LEBANON)

Steps:

• To make the outer shells, place the bulgur wheat in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit for 20 minutes then drain in a strainer, pressing to extract the excess liquid.
• In a large bowl, blend the beef, onions, cumin, salt, and pepper to a paste. Add the strained bulgur wheat and mix well. Process again, in batches, in a food processor until smooth and pliable enough to work like a dough, adding a little ice water if needed.
• To make the stuffing, in a large skillet, cook the meat, stirring, over medium-high heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, salt, allspice, pepper, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the pine nuts. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
• To make the final dish, with wet hands, shape the raw meat-bulgur mixture into egg-sized balls. Make a hole down the center of each ball with an index finger to make a deep cup with a pointed bottom. Stuff each ball with about 1 tablespoon of the stuffing. Press down on the sides and top to enclose the filling and reshape into a smooth egg with a pointed top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, wetting your hands frequently.
• Preheat the oil to 360 degrees F.
• In batches, add the kibbeh balls to the hot oil and cook until golden brown and the meat is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature, with the Yogurt-Garlic Sauce for dipping.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.

LEBANESE KIBBEH IN A TRAY

Steps:

• Select lamb from loin of the animal.
• Pound the cubed meat with a teaspoon of salt in a stone mortar with a wooden mallet.
• Remove meat from mortar when it becomes pasty.
• Now pound onion with a teaspoon of salt and the pepper until it is reduced to a pulp.
• Combine meat and onion and pound together until very smooth.
• Wash bulghur well in running water but do this quickly so that it does not soften.
• Press to remove water.
• Knead bulghur and meat with the hands.
• Pound together in mortar.
• Add salt to taste.
• Dip mallet in ice water occasionally to keep meat moist and smooth.
• Properly prepared kibbeh must be pounded at least an hour.
• Then it is ready to be eaten as it is, or cooked in a variety of ways.
• Preparation time may be shortened considerably by grinding meat several times through fine blade of meat grinder.
• Grind onion twice.
• Grind onions with meat once.
• Combine washed bulghur with meat-onion mixture.
• Knead well, seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Grind this mixture three times adding a tablespoon of ice water to keep it smooth.
• To make stuffing: Heat fat.
• Fry chopped onions in it until soft.
• Add meat and fry until lightly browned.
• Add pine nuts and continue frying until they are slightly browned and the meat has lost its pink color entirely.
• Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.
• Pour off excess fat.
• To make Kibbeh in a Tray: Grease a shallow 12 x 18 inch baking pan.
• Pat a layer of basic kibbeh smoothly and firmly over the bottom of the pan to the depth of one inch.
• Cover this evenly with with a layer of stuffing.
• Top with a second layer of kibbeh slightly thicker than the first.
• Score into diamond shapes with a sharp knife.
• Pour one cup melted samneh or butter over all.
• Bake in moderate oven about 20 minutes, or until well browned.
• Serve hot or cold.

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.

KIBBEH (BEEF CROQUETTES)

Steps:

• Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the pine nuts for 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Remove pine nuts from pan, drain and set aside.
• Add the other tablespoon of oil to the skillet along with the onions. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the ground beef, cinnamon, allspice, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper. Stir to break up meat and cook until meat is no longer pink. Stir through the pine nuts, mint and parsley, set aside.
• Place bulgur in a sieve under cool water, rinsing until water runs clear. Set aside.
• Place the onion in a food processor and pulse several times until minced. Add the ground beef, salt, cinnamon, allspice and pepper. Process for 15-20 seconds until a paste forms. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the rinsed bulgur to the meat filling and combine for 3 minutes to mix thoroughly.
• Place some water in a small bowl and set aside. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet (or lined with a silpat). Roll 3 tablespoon sized balls (roughly the size of a ping pong ball, 1 1/4 oz or 35 gm) of the filling. You should have 32. For larger kibbeh, double the size.
• Wet your hands. Holding the ball in one hand, use the index finger from the other and press down in the center of the ball, being careful not to crack or tear the sides. Do not press through the ball, you are making a package to fill. I use the hand holding the ball and gently press the meat mixture up and around my finger to the second joint (mid-finger) while move the index finger in a slow circular pattern to widen the opening. This takes practice, so be patient! The sides should be about a 1/8" thick.
• Fill the cavity of the kibbeh with 1 1/2 tsp of the filling mixture and pinch the opening closed to seal it. Wet your fingers and formand smooth the kibbeh into an oval with a pointed end (football shaped). Place on line baking sheet and repeat with remaining casing and filling.
• Heat 2 cups of oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 350°F. Gently lower 3-4 per batch into the oil and fry 2-3 minutes, gently turning often until crispy and brown. Remove the kibeh from the oil and transfer them to a plate lined with paper toweling to drain.Repeat with remaining balls.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the kibbeh balls in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spray the croquettes with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.Bake for 30 minutes, or until they are deep golden brown in color. Time can vary depending on the heat of your oven and altitude.
• Place on a platter garnished with lemon slices, mint leaves and a dipping bowl filled with Tahini Yogurt Sauce.