Thanksgiving Recipe No. 4: Kibbee

i am on a roll! four recipes in less than a week....that might just be a record. i guess if there's any time of year to get back in the kitchen, it's definitely the holidays.

one of the many dishes we made this past weekend from our thanksgiving menu, is kibbee. kibbee is probably one of my absolute favorite lebanese dishes! the best way to describe it (in my opinion) is, it's kind of like a lebanese meatloaf. unfortunately, i didn't snap any photos before it went into the freezer, so i'm leaving you with this photo from last year's thanksgiving table. i'll try and snap some photos on the big day and come back and update the blog, so you have a better idea of what it looks like. the kibbee is in the pan behind the big bowl of tabbouleh. 

you mix together, ground lamb (you can mix it with half ground beef if lamb is expensive where you live), fine bulgur, onions, cinnamon, salt and pepper and layer half of the mixture in a large lasagna pan, layer saute'd pine nuts on top and then add the remaining mixture. serve it with some pita bread and it is so good. simple and delicious, that's pretty much what lebanese food is. 

find other thanksgiving recipes here, here and here. 

Kibbee

3 medium onions, diced finely

3 lbs ground lamb (you can do 50% ground beef if lamb is expensive where you live)

3 cups fine bulgur**

cinnamon to taste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 cup saute'd pine nuts 

1/2 cup butter, melted

**soak about  one and a half cups of fine bulgur in water, it will expand and you will end up with more than the required 3 cups. if you have leftover bulgur, chop up some parsley and tomatoes and toss with lemon juice to make tabbouleh! 

preheat oven to 375. mix the onions, ground lamb and bulgur together. season with salt, pepper and cinnamon. again, if you can't smell the cinnamon coming from the bowl, there's not enough in it. you'll use way more cinnamon than you think you need.

in a large lasagna style pan, layer half of the meat mixture. top with saute'd pine nuts. layer the remaining mixture. cut the meat into diamond shapes and pour the melted butter over the top of the kibbe. bake for 1 hour at 375 and serve hot from the oven.