Although unconventional, this gluten free recipe for Kibbeh is delicious as an appetizer or in a pita
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanese
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 18patties
Ingredients
1medium yellow onionpeeled
½cupkashabuckwheat (see note)
Salt and ground black pepper
1poundlean ground beef
1large eggbeaten
¼cuppine nutstoasted and chopped
¾teaspoonground allspice
¾teaspoonground cardamom
¾teaspoonground cinnamon
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
6medium garlic clovesfinely grated
1cupwhole-milk plain yogurt
1cuplightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped
¼cuptahini
4tablespoonsgrapeseed or other neutral oildivided
Lemon wedgesto serve
Instructions
Grate the onion on the large holes of a grater, catching the pulp and liquid in a medium bowl. Stir in the Kasha and 1 tsp salt. Set aside for 10 minutes, until the Kasha has absorbed the onion liquid and is slightly softened.
Toast the pine nut in a small skillet over medium-low, shaking the pan frequently, until golden brown, approx. 4 minutes. Let cool and chop.
To the onion/kasha mixture, add the beef, egg, pine nuts, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cayenne, 1 teaspoon black pepper and ⅔ of the grated garlic. Mix with your hands or with a wooden spoon until well combined, then cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, parsley, tahini, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the remaining garlic. Set aside until ready to serve.
Line a baking sheet with kitchen parchment paper (or just use a plate). Form the beef mixture into 17 - 18 balls with your hands (about 2 heaping tablespoons each) and place on the baking sheet or plate. Using your hands, flatten the balls into ½-inch-thick patties about 2½ inches in diameter.
In a 12-inch skillet over medium head, heat a tablespoon of oil until barely smoking. Add 1/3rd of the patties and cook undisturbed until browned and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the second sides are browned and crisp, about another 4 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels and repeat with the remaining oil and patties. Serve with the yogurt-tahini sauce and lemon wedges.
Serve the kibbeh, yogurt-tahini sauce and lemon wedges for squeezing with warmed flatbread or pita.
Notes
Note: If you can’t find fine Kasha, you can blitz a courser one in the food processor or spice grinder. If you find the mixture is still too wet to shape, keep it in the fridge for an extra 10 minutes or until the Kasha soaks up more moisture.