Levantine cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Kibbeh Meshwiyeh

Patties of fine bulgur and lean ground lamb, topped with an onion-pine nut filling and grilled.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 200 g fine bulgur
• 400 g very lean lamb (leg, same-day fresh)
• 200 g ground lamb
• 3 onions
• 1 tsp baharat
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 50 g pine nuts
• 1 tsp sumac
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch mint
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the bulgur in cold water for 15 min., squeeze it out thoroughly in a fine sieve and set aside; cut the lean lamb into cubes and keep it very cold.
2. For the filling, finely dice 2 onions and sweat in 2 tbsp olive oil for 8 min. until soft, add the ground lamb and fry crumbly for 6 min., then season with baharat, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
3. Toast the pine nuts in 1 tbsp olive oil for 2 min. until golden, mix into the filling and let it cool completely.
4. Process the cold lamb with the third onion in a food processor into a fine paste, knead in the squeezed bulgur, salt and pepper, working in cold water until the dough is pliable like modeling clay.
5. Divide the dough into eight portions, press each with wet hands into a 1 cm thick patty, spread the filling in the center and pull the edges up slightly.
6. Grill the patties over medium coals for 5–6 min. per side until the surface is firm and marked with brown spots, sprinkle with sumac and serve with mint leaves.