Kibbeh, the national dish of Lebanon, is an emulsification of the freshest minced lamb and burghul (cracked wheat) with essential 7-spices. In the old days, Lebanese women would pound the meat and the burghul in a mortar and then knead in the spices, a process which can be excruciatingly exhausting. Oh hail, thou food processor!
Kibbeh can be eaten raw (kibbeh Naye) which is similar to steak tartare and is one of the popular methods of consumption in Lebanon. The method used in this recipe is Kibbeh Bil Sayneeye, or baked kebbeh. Another common method is Kibbeh Qrass, whereby the Kibbeh mixture is molded into small, hollowed balls and then stuffed with the typical filling (listed below) before being fried.
Even with the advent of the food processor, Kibbeh making can still be a bit time consuming. It usually takes about 1 hour prep time and in this case about 45 minutes of baking. Nevertheless, Its well worth it. I always make loads and freeze it for later consumption. If you are going to freeze the Kibbeh, follow all the directions provided below, except for baking. On the day of consumption pull it out of the freezer, let it barely thaw for about 30 minutes, and then bake for 1 hour or more if desired. The below recipe can feed 12 peeps as part of a meal and makes 4 flans.
For the Kibbeh:
1 kg minced lamb
1 large onion, quartered
3 tablespoon of 7 spices/allspice (even proportions of black pepper, clove, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, cumin)
2 teaspoons of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
4 cups of soaked burghul, well drained
2 tablespoons salt
4 recyclable flan cases 215 mm DIA x 24 mm deep
Olive oil for drizzling
For the filling:
2 large onions, cut into rings or thin strands (see picture)
500g of minced lamb
1 tablespoon 7 spices/allspice
80 grams pine nuts
1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil (healthier option obviously)
For the yogurt dressing:
500g natural Greek style yogurt
1/2 cup water
2 garlic cloves, pureed in a mortar
1 large cucumber, finely sliced
20 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt to taste
Mix all ingredients together and let sit in fridge.
Lets begin by making the filling:
Place a skillet or sautee pan over medium heat, drizzle the olive oil and sautee the onions till soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the pine nuts and sautee for another 2-3 minutes until almost golden. Now add the minced meat and cook till browned. Mix the spices in and add salt and pepper to taste.
For the Kibbeh layers:
In a food processor, mix the quartered onions on high, till almost pureed in consistency. Add the meat a quarter at a time. Mix well.
Now add the strained burghul, a cup at a time.
Mix on high. Add the spices and salt and give it a final whizzzz… About 2-3 minutes on turbo. The result should be a smooth emulsified paste. Pre-heat oven to 4G/350F/180c. Divide the Kibbeh paste into 8 even portions. Lightly grease your baking dish, in this case dishes, and spread 1 portion of the kibbeh for each dish, creating an even layer.
Evenly spread the meat filling across all the baking dishes
Now cover each dish with 1 portion of the remaining Kibbeh, creating a final layer. Using a knife, gently slice into the top layer, diagonally creating diamond shapes; then divide into six even slices. Create a small hole in the center and drizzle all over with olive oil. This gives it a nice golden brown color as well as adding a bit of flavor. I don’t recommend that you skip this step, but rather just go the lighter way.
Pop into the oven for about 45 minutes or till golden brown.
Pour the yoghurt dressing over each slice and serve with Fattoush salad!
Sahtein x
