Kibbeh Akras Mekhli

Serve Kibbeh hot or cold with salads, hommous and babaganoush with torn up pieces of fresh lebanese bread

What you need:

• 1 kg (5 cups) fine burghul - Burghul is in the Groceries Pack of the Sourced Fresh May/June order
• 1 kg finely ground lean meat - lamb or beef is fine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large onion
• 1 cup iced water or ice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 6 cups vegetable oil (for deep fry)

For the filling:

• 500g minced meat - (same as the meat you chose for the balls above)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup fried pine nuts - lebanese pine nuts are in the Sourced Fresh Spice Pack in the May/Jun order
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• a pinch of salt
• a dash of ground cinnamon
• a dash of ground allspice

1. Wash burghul under running water then soak in water for about 10 minutes.
2. Drain then press to remove moisture as much as possible.
3. Mash onion in the food processor then add minced meat in batches.
4. Remove and place aside.
5. Mix meat mixture with burghul, salt, allspice, and cinnamon.
6. Process well in batches into a firm paste.
7. Knead mixture with wet hands into a smooth paste.
8. Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes covered with a piece of wet cloth.

Filling:

1. Fry chopped onion with a dash of salt in oil until transparent.
2. Add minced meat, salt and spices to onions and fry until cooked.
3. Mix in pine nuts.
4. Put filling aside.

Putting it together:

1. Divide paste into egg sized balls
2. Dip your hands in cold water then roll each ball between the palms of your hands until smooth.
3. Make a hole in the middle with your forefinger. Work finger round in the hole until you have a shell of even thickness.
4. Fill hole with filling mixture and close opening.
5. Moisten with cold water to seal well and to shape with two pointed sides.
6. If any breaks appear in shell, close with wet fingers.
7. Place balls on a tray.
8. Heat oil in a pan then fry till brown evenly and cooked.

For a copy of the May/June order form, click here