Kubbe Recipes

Steps:

• Place bulgur in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and cumin. Gradually mix in the cup of water to make a stiff but not crumbly dough. Knead for a few minutes to fully bind the ingredients. If it is too mushy, let it sit for a while, and the bulgur will absorb some of the water.
• For the filling: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until browned. Remove from the skillet. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet, and cook until evenly browned, stirring frequently. Drain excess grease. Season with allspice, salt, and cinnamon, and stir in the cooked onions and pine nuts. Allow to cool enough to handle.
• Form the dough into walnut-sized balls. Press your thumb into the ball while it is enclosed in your other hand to form a tube. The cylinder should be about 2 inches long, and the thinner the walls are, the better they will cook. Fill the cavity with as much of the meat mixture as you can, then seal the end to form a torpedo shape. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. At this point, the kubbe may be frozen. Freeze on baking sheets, then transfer to freezer bags when solid.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). If the oil is not hot enough, the kubbe will fall apart. Carefully place the kubbe into the hot oil, and fry until nicely browned, about 1 minute. Remove with tongs to paper towels to drain. Serve with tahini.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a skillet. Saute the onion until transparent. Add the tomato paste slowly and heat through.
• Fill a soup pot with 2 1/2 liters (10 cups) of water. Stir in the tomato and onion mixture from the skillet and vegetables.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add the spices and Kubbeh.
• Turn down the flame, and cook, partially covered, for another 20-30 minutes.

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Cook onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add lamb, allspice, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps, until lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup pine nuts.
• Make bulgur mixture:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cover bulgur by 1 inch with cold water in a bowl. When dust and chaff rise to surface, pour off water, then repeat rinsing 2 more times. Cover rinsed bulgur with cold water by 1 inch and let stand 10 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard on bulgur to remove excess liquid, and transfer to a large bowl.
• Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Add lamb, allspice, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and pulse until onion is finely minced (meat will look smooth). Add to bulgur and mix with your hands to combine well.
• Assemble and bake kibbeh:
• Lightly grease pie plate with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Press half of bulgur mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of plate (up 1 inch if using skillet). Spoon filling evenly over bulgur mixture. Spoon remaining bulgur mixture over filling and spread to cover, smoothing top. Brush top with remaining olive oil and score in a crosshatch pattern with a paring knife.
• Bake kibbeh in middle of oven until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Broil kibbeh 5 to 7 inches from heat until top is golden brown and crusty, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• The wheat is rinsed and soaked for thirty minutes in enough water to cover. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.Drain it and mix in a large bowl with the ground lamb, the pine nuts and the salt and pepper. In a blender or food processor grind the onion and the mint with a half cup of water. Add to the meat and mix well. Grease a round or square baking dish. Pour the meat mixture and make a 3 cm. hole in the center; cover with the olive oil and form into wedges if using a round dish, or into squares if usin a square one. Bake until meat is well browned but not dry. Serve with taboule and Lebanese yogurt (labna) or plain nonfat yogurt.

Steps:

• Place bulgur in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with water just to the top of the bulgur. Place in the microwave and cook on High 1 to 2 minutes until bulgur is swollen and the water is absorbed. Toss briefly and allow to stand until cool.
• Place the mint leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Process, gradually adding onion through the feed tube, until both mint and onion are finely chopped. Stir the mint-onion mixture into the bulgur, with the cumin, allspice, salt, and pepper. Stir the bulgur mixture into the ground lamb and mix thoroughly. Using damp hands, shape the lamb mixture into small, palm-sized patties.
• Place the olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the kibbeh patties and cook until outside is golden brown and center is cooked through, turning once, about 6 minutes on each side.