Aunt Louises Baked Kibbeh Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the dough: put the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 30 minutes then drain well, squeezing the bulgur with your hands to remove excess water.
• Mix the bulgur, lean ground beef, onion, cinnamon, cumin, marjoram and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor and process to combine. Add the ice water and process until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. If necessary, add a little extra ice water to help the dough come together.
• For the filling: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and cook, breaking up into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in the middle, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Spread a little more than half the dough in the bottom and up the sides, dipping your hands ice water as needed to prevent sticking.
• Add the meat filling and sprinkle with the crushed walnuts. Cover the filling with the remaining dough by flattening several balls of dough and placing them over the filling like patchwork. With wet hands, pat and smooth the dough pieces into one mass to completely cover the filling.
• With one finger, make a hole in the center of the kebbeh all the way to the bottom of the pan. Score the dough into 8 portions with a chef's knife. Fill the hole with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and gently turn and roll the pan to oil the top. Press a walnut half into each portion to garnish. Bake until the dough is completely cooked through and the top of the kebbeh is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: stir the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the top of the sauce with the pomegranates, drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with a mint sprig.
• Remove the sides of the tart pan and slide the kebbeh onto to a serving platter, removing the tart pan bottom. Slice the kebbeh and serve with the yogurt sauce.

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:

• 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.

Steps:

• 1. Place dry bulgur into large bowl and cover with water. Set aside to soak for 30-60 minutes until all the water is gone. (This will be used for the Kibbeh Neyyeh (raw mixture).
• 2. In the meantime, you're going to make the "stuffing."
• 3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add the pine nuts to the skillet and fry until lightly browned.
• 4. Add 1 pound of ground lamb or chuck and cook until the meat has started to lose its pinkness.
• 5. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients and cook until the meat is completely browned. Set aside.
• 6. Now you're going to make the Kibbeh Nayyeh (raw mixture).
• 7. Drain the bulgur and squeeze out any excess water. Combine all the Kibbeh Nayyeh ingredients, except the olive oil, in a bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Do not over work.
• 8. Spread half the Kibbeh Nayyeh (raw) mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Pat it down with your hand so that it covers the bottom of the pan evenly.
• 9. Spread the cooked "stuffing" on top of the bottom layer of Kibbeh Nayyeh.
• 10. Spread the remaining Kibbeh Nayyeh on top of the stuffing. You may want to tear off pieces, flatten them in your hand and place evenly on top. Then press flat with your hand.
• 11. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal lines through the Kibbeh to create a diamond pattern.
• 12. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Can be served at room temperature.