INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup fine-grain bulgur
- 1 pound lamb shoulder, ground fine
- ¼ cup grated onion
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground, or 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Salt
- pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan
- 2 cups sliced onions, 1/4-inch thick
- ½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- Greek-style yogurt, for serving
PREPARATION
- Rinse the bulgur well, then cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain well.
- Put the drained bulgur, lamb, grated onion, cumin and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well with your hands to distribute the seasoning. With a wooden spoon, beat in about 1/2 cup ice water. The mixture should be smooth and soft.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry gently, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and add 1/4 cup of the lamb mixture. Continue frying, allowing the meat to get crumbly and the onions to brown nicely, another 10 minutes or so. Stir in the pine nuts and taste. Let cool to room temperature.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then press half the remaining lamb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread half the onion-pine nut mixture over the meat. Add the rest of the meat to the pan, patting and pressing it with wet hands to make a smooth top. If desired, score the top with a sharp paring knife to make a traditional diamond pattern at least 1/2-inch deep.
- Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden. Spread with the remaining onion-pine nut mixture. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool, with a dollop of yogurt.
....And you'll need some of this to go along with the warm kibbeh:
Recipe: Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad
Summary:
This is “the” Tabbouleh recipe that mom is famous for.
Tabbouleh Ingredients (7 servings)
- 4 bunches of Italian Parsley chopped finely, drained
- 1 bunch of fresh green mint chopped finely, drained
- 1 Persian cucumber chopped finely (if using regular cucumbers, use only up to 4 inches of it)
- 5 medium sized tomatoes chopped, drained
- 1 small white onion chopped finely
- 1/4 cup of fine Burghul (fine cracked wheat #1)
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup of quality olive oil
- 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 teaspoon of Lebanese 7-Spices*
* Lebanese 7-Spices contain equal proportions of the following ground spices: Allspice, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, Ground Nutmeg, Fenugreek, Powdered Ginger
Tabbouleh Preparation Method
- Rinse all vegetables and let dry, especially the parsley and mint.
- Cut stems off parsley then chop finely. Spread chopped parsley on paper towels and let rest for a few mins in order to get rid of the moisture. Parsley needs to be dry of moisture before adding it to the mixing bowl.
- Cut stems off mint, and finely chop the leaves. Lay them on a paper towel and let dry.
- Chop tomatoes into small cubes of less than 1/2 in then place in strainer to rid them of the juice.
- Finely chop onions and mix with 7-spices.
- Finely chop the cucumber.
