Kibbeh: The Lebanese Connection

Many moons ago -- over 300, as a matter of fact -- I was the manager of Pier 1 Imports here in Knoxville. My favorite lunch spot was a deli just down the street run by a couple of Lebanese brothers. These young men had immigrated to this country and were in the process of gradually moving their family from Lebanon. To accomplish this they both worked from opening at 7:00 am until closing at 1:00 am.

Over the years they sent money home and brought family over who would take their turn working alongside the brothers before moving on -- a constant, if slow, stream of young (and not so young) men and women. The brothers even managed to save enough to buy the building the deli was in and the stretch of tremendously valuable real estate it rested on.

I stopped in there the other night for the first time in 20 years and one of the brothers was still behind the counter. His hair is now gray, but he otherwise looked the same and his accent was as difficult to understand. I ordered my long-ago favorite, a steak-in-a-sack Thin strips of beef are marinated in oil, garlic, cumin, fenugreek (I think), and a few other things, then they're cooked on a griddle with onions and wrapped in pita with lettuce, tomato, and a yogurt sauce. It was as good -- and messy -- as I remembered.

The sandwich put me in the mood for more Lebanese food, so last night I fixed a version of the Lebanese national dish, Kibbeh.

Traditionally lamb is pounded in a mortar (called a jorn) until it's a paste. Then onion is similarly treated. The two are then kneaded together with salt, pepper, and bulgur wheat. It's sometimes eaten raw or formed into meatballs and fried. I combined several recipes and came up with this take on it.

Kibbeh

1 lb lamb -- cubed
1 ea onion -- coarsely chopped
4 ea garlic cloves -- sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
3/4 c bulgur wheat
salt and pepper
3 tbsp melted butter
Filling
1/2 lb lamb -- cubed
1/2 ea onion -- diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c pine nuts
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
salt and pepper
3 oz feta cheese -- crumbled

Heat oven to 375F.

Finely mince 1 pound lamb of in a food processor and move to a large bowl. Finely mince onion and garlic it the food processor and add to the bowl with the lamb. Rinse bulgur wheat in a sieve, wring out excess water, and add to meat. Add salt and pepper, cumin, and mint and, using your hands knead mixture together adding a bit of water if necessary to form a fairly smooth paste. Set aside.

Mince remaining 1/2 pound lamb. Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté diced onion until it begins to brown. Increase heat to medium high, add lamb, season with salt and pepper, and brown. Add pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.

Press half of kibbeh in the bottom of an 8 x 8 casserole dish. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Distribute cooked lamb mixture over cheese. Top with remaining kibbeh and pat smooth.

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve topped with yogurt mixed with lemon juice and crushed garlic.

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