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My paternal grandmother was from a really interesting family. They are of Lebanese origin, though the papers in the 1800s said Syrian province, so we always said Syrian in our house. The family is massive with 400-person-plus annual family reunions, and we are approaching the 100th. I think this year is the 98th.
I’ve only gotten to go once, but it was really amazing to meet a bunch of cousins, a very few of whom remembered my grandmother. The best part was going over family recipes and realizing that we all still made things the same way, though almost all of us have switched lamb out for beef.
Anyway, my youngest, completely out of the blue yesterday, asked if we could make kibbeh. When I was a kid, my grandmother made this at least once a month – the same with grape leaves, labneh (yogurt), and fatayer (fried meat pie). The grandkids would always call those “flat tires.”
It was surprising because I don’t make these as often, even though two-thirds of my kids love the raw meat. Kibbeh is a dish designed to be served the same day and eaten raw. Though it is popular fried as well, we usually do that with any leftovers on day two.
The recipe is simple: 1 pound of ground meat (usually beef), 1 cup of bulgur wheat, which can also be sold as #2 cracked wheat, 1 large sweet onion, and salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
The meat, with recent health concerns, has been a long discussed thing in my family. The solution we came up with was to get an eye of round roast with all the fat cut off and have it ground twice. Every butcher I’ve ever talked to seemed to know what was up as soon as I told them I intended to eat it raw. Many butchers will ask for it to be done the next day so they can cut that meat first on clean machines; some will take the time to clean it midday.
The wheat needs to soak in water for at least 30 minutes or until tender. The onions are usually chopped for me, but my uncle sometimes grinds them. Mix by hand in a large bowl, and season to taste with the three seasonings, and you’re done.
We usually add some vegetable oil on top when we eat it.
~~Miniwing~~
Investor, Parent, Stoic