Ben and Natalie’s “First-Time” Kibbeh, Two Ways
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, diced
- 1 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- 1 teaspoons salt
Recipe
- 1 cups pine nuts or blanched slivered almonds
- olive oil
- 2 white onions, diced
- 1 pounds ground lamb or beef
- 2 tablespoons sea salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- 2 teaspoons allspice, divided
- 2 teaspoons cumin, divided
- 1 cups bulgur
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless leg of lamb (ask your butcher for completely denuded meat, free of fat or sinew)
- 1 white onion, chopped
Instructions
For the cucumber sauce
- Mix together all of the ingredients and chill.
To make the baked kibbeh
- Toast the nuts in a dry skillet and set aside.
- Coat a hot skillet with olive oil, add the diced onions and cook until they soften and begin to become translucent.
- Add the ground meat and a pinch each of the salt, cinnamon, allspice and cumin, then brown for approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the nuts and continue to cook until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Strain off the fat and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 350°. Cover the bulgur in water and soak.
- Mince the leg of lamb by hand or with a meat grinder.
- Pour the bulgur into a fine mesh strainer and press out as much water as possible.
- Place the minced lamb, bulgur, chopped onion and the rest of the spices into a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. (Do it in batches, if needed.)
- Adjust the seasoning to taste* (you can taste it raw IF you bought fresh, high-quality lamb), using more seasoning in this mixture than in the sautéed lamb.
- Coat a 14-inch baking dish with olive oil (a round pan is preferable). Make a thin layer of lamb and bulgur mixture on the bottom and sides of the dish, like a pie crust. Place a layer of the sautéed lamb and onion mixture over the crust. Top with another layer of lamb and bulgur mixture—using your fingers to flatten the meat across the top.
- Use a butter knife to cut pie slices and then a crosshatch pattern (try to only cut through the top layer).
- Make a ¼-inch hole in the center with your finger. (This helps it cook evenly and makes it easier to serve.)
- Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the top.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and crispy. Serve with the cucumber sauce.
To make the raw kibbeh*
- Use approximately 1 cup of the raw lamb and bulgur mixture and add an additional ¼-cup soaked bulgur.
- Top with a small amount of the sautéed lamb and onion mixture and serve with pita bread, raw scallions and radishes.
Notes
*Note from the Health Department: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness
