Baked Kibbeh (Kibbeh bil Sanieh)

Ingredients

• fine bulgur250 g
• ground lamb (or beef)500 g
• onion2 medium
• pine nuts50 g
• clarified butter (or olive oil)3 tbsp
• salt1 tsp
• black pepper1/2 tsp
• ground cinnamon1 tsp
• allspice1/2 tsp
• ice water100 ml

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the bulgur, drain it and place it in a large bowl. Add 100 ml of ice water, mix and let it soak for 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Finely chop one onion. In a pan, sauté it in 1 tbsp of clarified butter until translucent. Add 200 g of ground meat, pine nuts, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Set the filling aside.

3. 3

   In the bulgur bowl, add the remaining ground meat (300 g), the grated second onion, allspice, salt and pepper. Knead by hand for 5 minutes, adding a little ice water if needed, until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough.

4. 4

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a baking dish (approx. 30x20 cm). Spread half of the kibbeh dough evenly on the bottom, pressing firmly.

5. 5

   Spread the meat and pine nut filling over the dough layer. Cover with the remaining kibbeh dough, smoothing the surface with wet hands. Score diamond shapes with a knife and drizzle with 2 tbsp of clarified butter.

6. 6

   Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and crispy. Serve hot, with a fattoush salad or plain yogurt. Enjoy!