Yesterday was the last day of the school year, and the intense
two-week sprint to the finish line has left all of us exhausted (science
projects! research papers! catching up on an entire quarter of math homework!
and fun fun fun in the form of events that require me to drive up to school
fifty times a day). Yesterday was also my husband's birthday, and I wanted to
make him a nice dinner that really didn't require a lot of effort on my part,
because it was a busy day and I'm tired and it took less than 3 hours before we
experienced The First Pre-Teen Hormonal Meltdown of the Summer. Kibbeh to the
rescue!
Kibbeh is one of my favorite foods, in all
its forms - and there are many, many forms to choose from. The little
football-shaped version you get at Middle Eastern restaurants is excellent but
there's no way I was frying anything; our microwave broke recently and we have
an interim one that sits on the countertop and takes up all the space next to
the stove, so setting up a rack to drain them was out of the question. I can't
find my usual layered baked kibbeh recipe. I didn't think my kids or in-laws
would appreciate the raw version (although that was about the level of effort I
felt up to at 5 p.m.).
This version came to the rescue: a baked kibbeh that goes
into the oven in about 2 minutes and looks gorgeous when it’s done, thanks to the
carmelized onion topping. I’ve seen a number of versions online and have
fiddled with it enough that I can make it without looking at someone else’s
recipe; it’s a great go-to when I want something a little bit fancy without a
ton of work or a trip to the grocery store. I’ve also cut this into little
squares and served it as an appetizer, sort of like a meat bruschetta. Which
actually sounds kind of gross, now that I think about it.
Feel free to substitute coarse-ground bulghur if you’re so
inclined. I’ve found that I actually prefer kibbeh made with quinoa as it’s a
bit more flavorful than wheat; cook it in advance and keep it in the fridge,
and you can have this ready to go in the time it takes your oven to heat up.
Baked Kibbeh with Onion Topping
1 lb. ground lamb
¾ - 1 cup cooked quinoa
3 large onions
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
½ teaspoon allspice
½ - ¾ cup pine nuts
½ cup currants
2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375.
Put one of the onions in the food processor and chop finely. Add
the meat, quinoa, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and some salt and pepper and process
until the mixture is very soft and pasty; this takes longer than just
processing it until it’s combined.
Pat the meat mixture evenly into a pan; if you have a large
springform or tart pan (at least 10” in diameter), feel free to use that,
otherwise a large rectangular Pyrex baking dish will work just fine. Drizzle a
couple of teaspoons of olive oil over the top and spread it evenly, then bake
for about 30 minutes.
While this is baking, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a
large skillet. Slice the remaining two onions thinly, then cook in the oil
until they are very soft and well-browned (similar to the topping for mjadara).
Add the pine nuts, currants, remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon, allspice, salt,
pepper, and pomegranate molasses, then stir and cook for another few minutes.
Take the meat out of the oven. Cut the meat into wedges or squares
(depending on what shape pan you used) and put on a serving platter of some
kind. Put a portion of the carmelized onion mixture on top of each piece and
serve. Good hot or room temperature.
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