Lebanese Kibbeh In A Tray

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 1/2 cups cubed tender lamb
• 2 cups bulgur (crushed wheat)
• 2 medium onions
• 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• ice water
• 1 cup ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup cooking fat
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Recipe

• 1 select lamb from loin of the animal.
• 2 pound the cubed meat with a teaspoon of salt in a stone mortar with a wooden mallet.
• 3 remove meat from mortar when it becomes pasty.
• 4 now pound onion with a teaspoon of salt and the pepper until it is reduced to a pulp.
• 5 combine meat and onion and pound together until very smooth.
• 6 wash bulghur well in running water but do this quickly so that it does not soften.
• 7 press to remove water.
• 8 knead bulghur and meat with the hands.
• 9 pound together in mortar.
• 10 add salt to taste.
• 11 dip mallet in ice water occasionally to keep meat moist and smooth.
• 12 properly prepared kibbeh must be pounded at least an hour.
• 13 then it is ready to be eaten as it is, or cooked in a variety of ways.
• 14 preparation time may be shortened considerably by grinding meat several times through fine blade of meat grinder.
• 15 grind onion twice.
• 16 grind onions with meat once.
• 17 combine washed bulghur with meat-onion mixture.
• 18 knead well, seasoning with salt and pepper.
• 19 grind this mixture three times adding a tablespoon of ice water to keep it smooth.
• 20 to make stuffing: heat fat.
• 21 fry chopped onions in it until soft.
• 22 add meat and fry until lightly browned.
• 23 add pine nuts and continue frying until they are slightly browned and the meat has lost its pink color entirely.
• 24 season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.
• 25 pour off excess fat.
• 26 to make kibbeh in a tray: grease a shallow 12 x 18 inch baking pan.
• 27 pat a layer of basic kibbeh smoothly and firmly over the bottom of the pan to the depth of one inch.
• 28 cover this evenly with with a layer of stuffing.
• 29 top with a second layer of kibbeh slightly thicker than the first.
• 30 score into diamond shapes with a sharp knife.
• 31 pour one cup melted samneh or butter over all.
• 32 bake in moderate oven about 20 minutes, or until well browned.
• 33 serve hot or cold.