Non-Traditional Kebbeh Laktine- Pumpkin Kebbeh
It seems like all I talk about lately is Kebbeh. Kebbeh this, Kebbeh that… someone’s gonna “kebneh*” soon! But, one thing’s for sure, I’m never bored of Kebbeh.I recently gifted my friend Sacha a Middle-Eastern cookbook about a chef’s travels in Turkey called “Turquoise” by Greg and Lucy Malouf. The book is absolutely extraordinary; from the turquoise cover (my favorite color), to the beautiful photography and delicious recipes.
She quickly got busy, invited us for dinner and made the following recipe from the book. It was mind blowing, something dreams are made of: the slightly sweet, spicy and crispy pumpkin-burghul mixture stuffed with the feta-walnut mixture, just melts in your mouth. Need I say more?
The book is exquisitely beautiful, and Sacha really loved it-she is not very familiar with Middle-Eastern cuisine. The recipe made me do the undo-able; buy myself the same gift I gave another person! I couldn’t control myself, it was purgatory if I’ve ever experienced it. So, Yes! I quickly and secretively bought myself one, too.
The recipe in the book is called a Kofte, which in Lebanon is a meat & herb mixture molded onto a skewer. The ingredients had nothing to do with the traditional Lebanese Kofte/Kafta but more so of the Kebbeh. The traditional Lebanese pumpkin Kebbeh sometimes calls for chickpeas, spinach and pine nuts for the stuffing. Besides renaming the recipe Kebbeh; I substituted sage instead of parsley to the filling and I baked them rather than frying them.
* Kebneh or “Throw me” in arabic, has no relation/derivation to/from kebbeh.
P.S- Lebanon used to belong to the Ottoman Empire and you can see the influence of Turkish cuisine in Lebanese cuisine
Spiced Pumpkin Kebbeh
Recipe adapted from Turquoise
Makes 24 kebbeh torpedoes
The Cast of Characters
- 550g of pumpkin puree
- 50ml olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon hot Turkish pepper paste, or harissa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 250g fine burghul, rinsed and well drained
- generous pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- vegetable oil for light frying
- For the Walnut-Feta Stuffing
- 50g walnuts
- 180g feta
- 16g fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
The Nitty-Gritty
Prepare the pumpkin puree. Heat the olive oil in large heavy-based saucepan, then add the onion, cumin, pepper paste (Harissa), paprika and sweat on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
Then, add the pumpkin puree and the burghul and mix well. Season with salt. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Then remove from the heat and let sit for about 10mn. Add the beaten eggs. Mix well and pop into the fridge for 1hr or so.
In the mean time, sautee the chopped sage till crispy about 1 minute. Pound the walnuts to a rough chop and mix with the feta, sage and olive oil.
Set aside till ready.
Remove the kebbeh mixture from the fridge. Take a small lump of the mixture and mold it in your hand to make a smooth ball. 
Use your finger to make an indentation in the mixture and work it to hollow out the middle. Stuff it with a generous teaspoon of the stuffing, then pinch the edges together to seal.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/4G
Generously brush the torpedoes or balls with olive oil. The original recipe calls for frying the kebbeh torpedoes. I baked them for about 35 minutes then I lightly sauteed them in oil for browning, about 1 minute on each side.
Et voila!
I love the texture inside the pumpkin kebbeh. A real veggie bonanza!
Beth! Is that the Kebbeh from the gorgeous turquoise book I was looking through when I came over for dinner the other night? They look divine, and yes, that book is stunning, I’ve put it on my Amazon wishlist =)
Great alternative to the normal meat Kebbeh, I can only imagine how yum this tastes. Must try it out. Loving the photos too – lovely yellow bowl! xxx
Wow, looks amazing but I am not sure I could replicate the recipe here in umbria. Wish I was able to meet all you foodies at the upcoming connect but I may be in the US at the time.
I’ve never heard of a pumpkin kebbeh but it looks delicious. What a great recipe.
Mowie- Yup, that’s the one. So beautiful, I just wanna go hug it again. right now!
Deborah- We wish we could meet you to. Perhaps the next one!
Helene- Oh-so-good!
Never had this before but it sure smells good from where I’m at the moment. And it’s near lunch time – your delicious dish makes me so hungry to take a bit off the screen.
oh yum! these truly are incredible looking- i really love the spices and it’s such a brilliant take on the classic! i have to put that book on my wish list. My husband will love you for that – yet another cookbook! lol!
I’m preparing this lovely dish today.. I’m thinking to make it in the oven pan (bilsuniyeh) hope it works
..
I can’t wait to get started,
thanx Beth for the recipe
cheerz
this is something new to me..thanks for sharing
can’t find them here in Malaysia~~~
great recipe!!
Oh wow!
I have 2 books by the Maaloufs–I just bought a copy of ‘saha’ which chronicles their travels through Lebanon and Syria and it’s amazing. Will definitely pick up a copy of Turquoise–this recipe looks so good! Thanks for posting this, it’s great :O)
Don’t worry, I’m not tired of Kebbeh, but then again I’ve never had one before either! Looks delicious
I tried this recipe today, and I absolutely love it!
I hovered up my plate and my husband did too..
baking it in an oven pan was nice (& easy) thing to do as well..
thanx
Glad you enjoyed. And thanks for letting me know
I must say, this version looks fabulous! I can just taste it! I am surprised there is no flour in the shell, so I bet the pumpkin flavor really comes through!
Loved this recipe, so yummy, and different..
Hi Beth!
I know it’s been said a zillion times and now a zillion and one but I love your website.
Planning on making these this weekend; tempted to try also with a butternut squash puree…hmmm maybe, we’ll see.
Yasmin x
Thanks a lot Yasmin! That’s very kind of you and I greatly appreciate the feedback
x
This is really delicious. My sister made it for my friend’s baby shower and everyone loved it. so yummy.