Baked Kibbeh
Serve hot or warm with plain yogurt, baba ghanouj, fresh radish, or salad.
Kibbeh كبة is a national dish — one of Lebanon's most appetizing and versatile staple foods. It can be eaten as part of the mezze (Lebanon's traditional hors d'oeuvres), as a buffet finger food, or as a main course at lunch or dinner. The basic mixture of pounded meat, onion, and herbs, combined with salt, spices, and fine cracked wheat (burghul #1), gives it a special texture and taste. I clearly remember my mother pounding the meat mixture in a mortar and pestle until it turned into a smooth paste. Luckily, we now have food processors — no need to pound anymore!
Baked kibbeh (kibbeh bil saniyeh) is an oven-baked main course consisting of a layer of meat filling (hashweh) between top and bottom layers of kibbeh.
The Lebanese enjoy many kinds of kibbeh. Zgharta, Ehden, Beshari, and Hasroon mountains are well known for serving good raw kibbeh (kibbeh nayeh) and grilled kibbeh (kibbeh mashwiyeh).
Preparation
- Kibbeh Dough prepared and set aside.
- Meat with Pine Nuts prepared and set aside.
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Split the dough into two equal parts.
- Spread the plastic wrap on the working surface. Dip your fingers in ice-cold water and wet half of the wrap so the dough will not stick. Place one part of the kibbeh dough in the middle of the wet wrap and press it flat into a rectangle.
- Wet your fingers again and run them over the dough, then fold the wrap over the dough. Roll with a rolling pin until ¼ inch thick or less.
- Place the pan lightly over the covered dough to make sure the dough will cover the entire bottom. Set the pan aside.
- Gently uncover the top wrap. Carefully invert the dough into the greased pan so the raw dough is at the bottom and the wrap covers the top.
- Pull off the remaining wrap and reserve it for the second part of the dough.
- Dip your hand in the ice water and pat the dough gently so it spreads evenly to the edges of the pan. This is the bottom layer.
- Spread the meat filling to cover the dough in the pan and set aside.
- Roll out the second piece of dough in the same manner. Invert it over the meat filling to cover it. Gently remove the wrap and discard.
- Wet your fingers with ice water and lightly smooth the top layer so it touches the sides of the pan.
- Spread 1/3 cup clarified butter on top. With a knife, mark the top layer into diamond shapes. Bake for 30 minutes on the second oven rack.
Serve hot or warm with plain yogurt, baba ghanouj, fresh radish, or salad.