Sito’s Kibbeh
Submitted by: Kristen / Dallas, Texas, USA
Who passed this recipe down to you? My grandmother (or ‘Sito’ in Arabic)
Recipe origin: Lebanon
How old is this recipe? Old!
The story behind the recipe:
Kibbeh is one of the most iconic recipes of the Middle East. It has few ingredients, is simple to make, and absolutely delicious! My dad's side of the family immigrated from Lebanon and Syria in 1910, this is one of the most loved recipes they brought with them. I got to know both great grandmothers, the one strongly Syrian and the other strongly Lebanese, and they both had their own little twist on this dish. During my whole childhood, we would get together with 40 cousins every Sunday for lunch, and there was always a big tray of kibbeh.
Ingredients:
2 cups fine bulgar wheat (can be found at Middle Eastern stores)
2 large yellow onions, grated
2.5 pounds ground beef (top round or eye of round is preferable, ground 2-3 times by a butcher)
2 - 2.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 - 3 teaspoons allspice (optional)
Butter as needed
Extra virgin olive oil as needed
Handful of pine nuts
How to make it:
Wash the wheat thoroughly, scrubbing between your hands and refreshing the water as necessary until almost clear. Place in a bowl to soak with a small amount of water and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Heat a skillet and add a pat of butter. Brown 1/2 lb. of the beef, chopping very small with a wooden spoon. In a small skillet, brown the pine nuts, toasting them with a little extra virgin olive oil. Combine the cooked beef and pine nuts in a bowl and set aside. This is the filling for your meat.
Preheat oven to 400℉.
Take two bowls, one larger and one smaller. Fill the smaller one halfway with ice water. In the large bowl, add the bulgar wheat and grated onions (be sure to squeeze the water out of everything). Add all the seasonings to the wheat/onions and stir with your hands until everything is well mixed. Lastly, add the meat, squishing it between your fingers and adding ice water as needed to loosen the meat.
Butter a 9x11 baking dish. You'll make three layers, first the raw mixture, then the cooked, then the raw again. The raw layers should be almost the same size, but the top layer should be the thicker of the two. Gently press down the first layer (careful not to make it too compact) and make it as even as possible. Spoon the cooked mixture on top, again keeping it even. Lastly, add the remaining raw mixture, sprinkling it evenly and then patting it to form an even layer. Cut into squares or diamonds and add a few pieces of butter on top. Bake for 1 hour.