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Aunt Louise's Traditional Baked Kibbeh

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PREP TIME
30 min
COOKING TIME
45 min
TOTAL TIME
105 min
SERVINGS
8 servings
Dinner Lebanese Middle Eastern
Aunt Louise's Traditional Baked Kibbeh
Ingredients
  • 1 cup bulgur wheat
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, divided
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground lamb, divided
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 stick salted butter
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, or to taste
Instructions
1
Begin by placing the bulgur into a large bowl, then cover it with boiling water. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes, allowing the water to be fully absorbed.
2
Next, preheat your oven to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
3
In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion, 1 and a half teaspoons of salt, some fresh basil leaves, and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the softened bulgur to this mixture, along with 1/2 pound of ground beef and 1/2 pound of lamb. Mix everything together until it's well combined.
4
Divide the mixture into two equal portions, and then shape one portion into a flat layer at the bottom of a 12x7-inch baking dish.
5
Take the remaining portion and shape it into another flat layer, but this time on a piece of waxed paper. Set the second layer aside.
6
In a skillet, cook and stir the remaining 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion along with the remaining 1/2 pound of lamb until it's browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove any excess grease from the skillet.
7
Add some pine nuts to the skillet and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spoon this mixture over the meat layer in the baking dish.
8
Invert the second meat layer over the filling, and then peel off the waxed paper that it was shaped on. Discard the waxed paper.
9
Using a sharp knife, cut the top layer of the meat mixture into diamond shapes by cutting diagonally in both directions. Leave about 3 inches between each cut.
10
Press a small amount of butter into the middle of each diamond shape.
11
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake until it's golden brown, about 40 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the center of the dish has reached a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius).