I have been literally itching to make kibbee for weeks. Mom and I went out for lunch back home in NH, where the fattoush salad is out of this world. I live for it. We went to a restaurant where I'd never been before, and I was about to top my salad with lamb kabob when saw a strange new meat option - Kibbee. I'd never heard of it before, but I'm always one to try new things. Especially when the waitress described it as "kind of like meatloaf, but with pine nuts, and better..."
I died. It was like a pine nutty, lamby, flat, baked slice of heaven. It was so savory I nearly forgot about the citrusy, sumac-covered, crunchy salad below. As soon as it was gone from my plate, I was on my phone, googling recipes. I picked up some bulgar at the Christmas Tree Shop (yes, I do just love a bargain) to drag back to DC with me.
And then, I forgot about it. Until one morning, while digging in the back of my cabinet, I saw the bulgar and remembered. The urge was back - I had to have kibbee. Tonight.
Again, I scoured the web for recipes. There were all sorts of variations - some with tons of spices like allspice, fresh mint, cumin, cinnamon or even hot sauce, others had feta, some mixed the bulgar with the meat and some layered them. I decided I would combine them all and see what worked best for me.
Unfortunately, it really didn't work out for me. It became a big mess instead of a nice slice. Regardless, the taste was really fantastic and it made a great salad. I like using bulgar in "pasta" salad because it is so healthy, so this seemed like the obvious route to me. Regardless, this is not my last try making kibee!!
Kibbee-style Bulgar Salad
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground lamb
1/4 c fresh chopped mint
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 c bulgar
1/2 c pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute garlic and onion until soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add ground lamb, mint, cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg and cook until brown (doesn't need to be cooked through).
3. Meanwhile, soak bulgar in warm water 15-20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water.
4. Combine bulgar, lamb, and pine nuts in a bowl. Grease a baking pan well with oil. Press mixture into pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve on its own with roasted squash or over baby spinach.
