Baked kibbeh

Before you start

• an oven
• fine bulgur, the number one grade — coarse will not bind
• a food processor helps the shell, though wet hands and ten minutes do it too

Ingredients

Serves 4 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 200gbulgur — fine grade
• 350gbeef mince — half for the shell, half for the filling
• 2onions
• 25gpine nuts
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 3 tspallspice, cinnamon and black pepper
• to tastesalt

Method

7 steps

1. soak · 30m walk away

   Fine bulgur in cold water just to cover, until it has swollen and there is no water left in the bowl.

2. chop · 8m

   One onion grated for the shell and squeezed dry, the other diced for the filling.

3. fry · 14m

   Filling: diced onion soft in a little oil, then half the mince broken up and cooked right through with the pine nuts and spices, until there is no pink left anywhere in it.

4. fold · 12m

   Shell: the drained bulgur kneaded with the remaining raw mince, grated onion, spices and salt into a smooth heavy paste. Wet hands, and keep wetting them.

5. fold · 10m

   Half the shell pressed flat into an oiled tray, the filling spread over, the rest pressed on top and smoothed with a wet palm, then scored into diamonds and oiled.

6. roast · 40m walk away

   Hot oven until the top is crisp and browned and the layers are cooked right through — cut into the middle and there should be no pink in either layer.

7. rest · 10m walk away

   Ten minutes in the tray before cutting, or the diamonds tear.