Baked Kibbee, Tahini & Tabouleh

I am so grateful that I found a man who likes to eat different things.  I was one of those people who would eat the basic foods.  After I met Steve I started to eat different foods, well it took a while to muster up the courage but I did it. 

One day he brought me to a restaurant (hole in the wall type) to get something to eat.  I ordered a sandwich with fries.  Steve ordered a Lebanese plate.  I looked at him with that expression on my face as "what the heck is that?"  I did try it but wasn't too keen on it at first.  Years later I tried it again and loved it. 

One day I decided to make my own Kibbee at home.  It came out bland and a bit dry.  I said I would leave it up the real cooks to make it. 

Well this past weekend I decided to make it again (don't know what made me do it but I did).  I found a recipe on-line and gave it a go.  My local grocery store did not have ground lamb so I used all beef.  The kibbee came out moist and tasty.  I was so happy. 

A little note:  Note sure if this helped with the moistness of the kibbee, but I used some of the bulgar that I had soaking in water for the tabouleh.

Baked Lebanese Kibbee

1 pound (500 g) lean ground beef or lamb

1/2 cup fine- to medium-grade bulgar (crushed wheat)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/2 teaspoon dried mint

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the meat, bulgar, onion, water, parsley, mint, allspice,

pepper, and cinnamon in a food processor. Process until doughy.

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly oil an 8 inch square baking

dish or a 9 inch round baking dish. Pat half of the meat mixture

into the pan. Sprinkle the nuts over the top. Then cover with the

remaining meat. While still in the pan, cut the kibbe into 1 1/2

inch square or diamond shapes. Brush the peanut oil over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until firm and browned well. Serve

the kibbe from the pan or invert it onto a platter.

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I did make the Tahini & Tabouleh.  I used the recipe for Tahini from a previous post.  I love making Tahini.

I have made Tabouleh in the past and it was okay.  This time I really enjoyed it. 

Tabouleh

Ingredients:

•2 bunches of fresh parsley (1 1/2 cup chopped, with stems discarded)
•2 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
•I medium onion, finely chopped
•6 medium tomatoes, diced
•1 tablespoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•1/2 cup bulghur, medium grade
•6 tablespoons lemon juice
•6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Soak bulghur in cold water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until soft.

Squeeze out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel.

Combine all ingredients, except for salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Line serving bowl with grape leaves or romaine lettuce, and add salad.

Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper on top.

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.