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1
Select lamb from loin of the animal.
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2
Pound the cubed meat with a teaspoon of salt in a stone mortar with a wooden mallet.
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3
Remove meat from mortar when it becomes pasty.
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4
Now pound onion with a teaspoon of salt and the pepper until it is reduced to a pulp.
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5
Combine meat and onion and pound together until very smooth.
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6
Wash bulghur well in running water but do this quickly so that it does not soften.
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7
Press to remove water.
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8
Knead bulghur and meat with the hands.
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9
Pound together in mortar.
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10
Add salt to taste.
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11
Dip mallet in ice water occasionally to keep meat moist and smooth.
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12
Properly prepared kibbeh must be pounded at least an hour.
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13
Then it is ready to be eaten as it is, or cooked in a variety of ways.
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14
Preparation time may be shortened considerably by grinding meat several times through fine blade of meat grinder.
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15
Grind onion twice.
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16
Grind onions with meat once.
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17
Combine washed bulghur with meat-onion mixture.
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18
Knead well, seasoning with salt and pepper.
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19
Grind this mixture three times adding a tablespoon of ice water to keep it smooth.
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20
To make stuffing: Heat fat.
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21
Fry chopped onions in it until soft.
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22
Add meat and fry until lightly browned.
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23
Add pine nuts and continue frying until they are slightly browned and the meat has lost its pink color entirely.
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24
Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.
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25
Pour off excess fat.
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26
To make Kibbeh in a Tray: Grease a shallow 12 x 18 inch baking pan.
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27
Pat a layer of basic kibbeh smoothly and firmly over the bottom of the pan to the depth of one inch.
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28
Cover this evenly with with a layer of stuffing.
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29
Top with a second layer of kibbeh slightly thicker than the first.
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30
Score into diamond shapes with a sharp knife.
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31
Pour one cup melted samneh or butter over all.
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32
Bake in moderate oven about 20 minutes, or until well browned.
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33
Serve hot or cold.
