Kibbeh

Ok, I know the idea of stuffing meat with more meat is kind of weird.  I get it, though.  It's like a Scotch Egg, where you cook the inside separately so you can quickly fry the outside and not have to overcook it so that the middle is done.  I countered my frying guilt by having them with an eggplant and artichoke salad.

I find most recipes referring to kibbeh as Lebanese, with a few crediting Iraq, Jordan, or Syria.  Spell-checker surprisingly has no trouble with the name, unless maybe it thinks it's a Yiddish word.

If I had realized how much of a frying project this was, I would have used the deep fryer.  I could only fit three at a time in the saucepan.  It does destroy the oil with spices, so you can't use it again unless it's for something highly spiced like falafel or samosas.

This is a slightly scaled down recipe from Olivia's Cuisine.  I was trying to make this dinner for four instead of appetizers, so we're using a total of 1-1/4 lb of 80/20 ground beef.

Filling
1/4 lb ground beef
1/3 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 Tb olive oil
*1/4 tsp ground allspice
dash cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 C toasted pine nuts (or chopped walnuts)

Meat "dough"
1 lb ground beef
*3/4 C fine bulgur
2/3 medium onion, chopped
*1/3 C fresh mint leaves (I need to do a de-minting)
1 tsp cumin
*1/2 tsp allspice
salt & pepper to taste
Vegetable or Peanut oil for frying

1.  Place bulgur in a bowl.  Pour 3/4 C warm water over it and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed.

2.  Make the filling:  In a skillet, cook onion in oil over medium heat until soft.  Add meat and spices and continue to cook until beef is done and crumbly.  Remove from heat and stir in nuts.  Set aside.

3.  Place the bulgur, onion, and mint in the food processor and run until smooth.  You especially want the onion invisible, as any intact pieces will make your kibbeh crack open.  Add spices and meat and process into a paste.

4.  Form the croquettes.  Scoop up an egg-sized amount of meat dough and form into an oval.  Add a scant tablespoon of cooked filling and enclose in the raw meat.  Make sure no filling is poking out, or the meatball will crack open.  Form into a football-shaped croquette.

5.  Heat at least 1" of oil in a fryer, dutch oven, or saucepan to 350º.  Drop in however many croquettes comfortably fit and cook until browned and crisp, about 4-5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and continue until all are fried, adding more oil as necessary.  Serve hot or room temperature.

Makes about 12

Difficulty rating  :)