Baked Beef Kibbeh
I know - I know - I am Italian. However, we have Labanese friends and they would bring over pita bread, grape leaves and kibbeh. So good! I remember how my Nana's friend could take a large pieces of pita and rip it in 1/2 the long way so each person got one half of a large pita and made us an amazing sandwich. Sometimes I wish i was that little girl in at my Nana's house!
I love lamb and that is the traditional way to make kibbeh but not everyone enjoys it so I decided to make it with beef and will put out a large platter to serve the kibbeh by adding grape leaves, hummus, tabouleh, lettuce, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives and extra-virgin olive oil.
Enjoy
Ingredients
- 1 cup bulger wheat
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 1/4 pound ground beef, lean (90%)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 8x8 baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper then drizzle olive oil to coat evenly.
Take the bulger wheat and add to a bowl. Add in 1/2 cup of water. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
In a large pan over medium heat add oil. Once the oil becomes hot add in the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes then add in salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Stir around to coat the onions. Add in the pine nuts and cook for another 1 minutes; stirring to avoid burning the nuts. Remove from heat.
Add beef, bulger (and any liquid), onions and nuts. Stir together. Put in prepared baking pan and put in the oven for 35 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes then remove by lifting the sides of the paper and place on a board. Cut into cubes and enjoy with a Greek salad.