Lebanese Kibbeh Recipes

Steps:

• first soak the burghul in water for 20 minutes.
• then drain and let dry for about 30 minutes
• filling:.
• heat a pan and add the ghee and the onion until it's golden brown , then add the ground meat and stir it until it's color starts to turn almost white , add the water and turn the heat down and let it cook for about 15 minutes then add the pinuts , raisins , salt ,pepper , cinnamon and nut meg , and cook it for another 10 minutes and set it aside .
• outer shell:.
• meanwhile put the ground meat in a food processor and work it until it's soft.
• you can use a mortar and pestol if you have one around.
• then add the burghul and minced onion to the meat.
• and mix it with your hands.
• divid it into equal size balls , wet your hands with water and try to shape each ball into an egg then make a hole in the middle and add some of the filling, and shape it again into an egg
• then deep fry into vegtable oil until it's brown in color.

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.

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).

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.