Learning How to Cook Lebanese Food like Kibbeh

I love whenever we meet a new Lebanese relative from our family tree because they have the best stories to tell. When I was little, my grandparents used to always talk about their migrating experiences from Lebanon to Nicaragua. From the history to the culture to the cuisine, it’s all so unique. I just fall more in love with my culture every day. *Don’t worry, Papi, I love Cuba too.*

*Prepárate (prepare yourself in Spanish), because this is something to take in…* My grandfather’s dad is the brother of the relative’s mother. You might have to recite that a few times or visualize it, so I totally understand/ Here, I’ll even pause for you.

— pause —

Where were we? Ah! Kibbeh! I’ll make it short and sweet, because it you cook anything like me, you’ll need all the instructions you can get.

JUST TAKE A SCREENSHOT FOR YOUR NEXT GROCERY TRIP

These are the ingredients.

01. two 9.5 x 13.5 x 2 in (3 qt) pyrex

02. 4 lbs ground beeF, lean 90.96%

03. 4 lbs burgol #1 fin cracked wheat

04. 1 large onion

05. 1 small onion

06. pam, or alternative

While everything’s being processed, use your pan to cook 1 lb ground beef as “stuffing” for the kibbeh. The stuffing is the center area of the 3-layered kibbeh. Chop, then add the small onion and salt & pepper to taste. Now you’ve cooked a portion of the ground beef!

After that’s finished, move onto working on the rest of the beef. Chop 1 large onion or use a food processor with salt and pepper to taste. With a separate plate or dutch oven sized bowl, soak the burgol with water. Use 2 cups of water for 2.5 cups of burgol. Then, insert every 4 lbs of burgol per every 1 lb of beef added. If it’s easier or faster for you, you can also use a food processor, like we used. To make the contents soft, just add water as needed.

This is your time to shine with whatever Pam option you decided on. Spray lightly to the pyrex! Add processed beef to the pan and start the layering process.

Pam the Pyrex
Processed ground beef
Cooked 1 lb beef from the pan earlier
Processed ground beef

The finishing touches are adding slight lines with a knife to the top of the kibbeh and the edges. I think it’s decorative, but also easy to cut once it’s cooked. Drizzle oil to give it that crunchy feel, if you want. Set the oven for 350° for 45 min to 1 hour. Just make sure it’s brown when you take it out of the oven.