Recipe: Aunt Barb’s Kibbeh
Christmas is always the time when families get together and celebrate and reconnect. For some, it may be the only time they see each other all year. We all have memories of the Holiday season. The lights, music, decorations, gifts…and especially the food! Now, more than ever, we all need the warm and comforting feeling from past holiday traditions. Some traditions remain the same year after year, while others change as family dynamics evolve.
For me, one of the strongest and fondest memories from my childhood at Christmas time was going to my Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom’s house on Christmas Day. My dad was the baby of the family, and Aunt Barb was his oldest sibling and only sister. She married Tom Joseph, a man of Lebanese decent, in 1952 and together they raised 7 children. Christmas at their house was fun and crazy, with all the families there would 30+ of us with 20+ of us being kids! I don’t know how they fit so many people around the table! And, there was always a ton of food…both traditional “American” and Lebanese. She must have been a saint to put up with all of us, it was a zoo sometimes. My uncle Tom would sit at the head of the table and just talk and laugh making sure everyone was eating and my aunt Barb (along with my cousin Cheryl) made it all happen.
I’m sure this may have been the start of my fascination with food. Of course there would be ham, sometimes turkey, green bean casserole but there would also be hummus and pita bread and stuffed grape leaves. But the thing that stood out, and what quickly became a favorite of mine, is Baked Kibbeh. There would also Kibbeh Nayyeh, which as a kid I loved, but since most people aren’t brave enough to try raw meat, I’m going to focus on Baked Kibbeh.
Making Kibbeh is a bit laborious, but the outcome is worth it. My Aunt Barb seemed to love to cook and seemed to always be doing it. How could she not? She had a lot of mouths to feed! Unfortunately she passed away in 2018, just 2 days after we lost my mom, but her spirit lives on through her baked Kibbeh. My cousin Ron makes it every year for those who show up, and my uncle Tom, who is 91, is still sitting at the head of the table laughing and just enjoying the company. I am sharing this recipe in honor of her and as a reminder to take a moment and think about those who are no longer with us and the memories that they brought to the holidays.
Kibbeh:
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 lbs of extra lean round steak – ground 3 times at butcher or grind fine 2 times with your own grinder
1 1/2 lbs of ground lamb
1 large Vidalia Onion – cut up into chunks
1/2 stick of butter or margarine
3 ounces of pine nuts
1 medium regular onion
1 medium red pepper
1/4 cup of water
2 T salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Allspice
1 1/2 tsp fresh cumin
1 ¼ lbs (20 ounces) fine wheat (bulgur)
Vegetable oil
18 x 12 “half” sheet tray
Grind the Meat:
Have your butcher grind the extra lean round steak and lamb 3 times OR grind it fine 2 times if you have your own with your grinder. Keep the 2 types of meat separate. Do not mix them together.
Stuffing for Kibbeh (Hush-wa):
Sauté 1 large vidalia onion with 1/4 stick of butter or margarine.
Add 1 1/2 lbs of ground lamb
Salt & pepper to taste
In a separate pan, sauté 3 ounces of pine nuts in 1/4 stick of butter until golden brown
Add the pine nuts to the meat filling and sauté together for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
**Note: you can make this stuffing a day a head of time and refrigerate
Meat Recipe:
In a blender, cut up onions and peppers into chunks and blend together with 1/4 cup of water
In a very large bowl, mix 2 1/2 pounds of ground round steak and vegetable puree, along with: 2 T salt, 1 1/2 tsp black pepper,1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1 1/2 tsp fresh cumin
Mix well, by hand
Wheat:
In a large bowl, rinse the wheat (bulgur) and cover with cold water, just until it’s covering the top of the wheat and let stand for 10 minutes
After 10 minutes, once the bulgur has absorbed all of the water, add it to the meat mixture and mix very well – adding a little water as you mix (if needed) to get a good consistency….not too dry or too wet or it will get mealy
Layer Kibbeh:
Lightly oil pans with vegetable oil
Make thin patties with meat mixture, in your hands, and layer in the pan, until evenly covering the bottom layer. Try to make patties thin when layering in the pan. Oil will ooze over the meat layer as you are working.
Add the stuffing mixture, for the middle layer, pressing down into the meat of the bottom layer
Then add the top layer of the meat mixture, again pressing thin patties in your hands and layer until the top is filled in.
Note: have a bowl of water to wet your hands as you are doing the layering, so the meat is easier to work with
Then take a large knife and cut along all the edges and cut into squares or use diagonal cuts, cutting down into both layers as you go, until all is cut
Then take the knife, or a fork, and stab into each square at least 2 or 3 times (small slashes) and poke 3 finger holes towards the center of each side for venting
Bake:
Preheat oven to 350
Pour vegetable oil over the top until evenly coated
Bake at 350 for about 35 - 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pan
To brown the top, turn oven on broil and cook for 5 more minutes, leaving the oven door open slightly and watch closely. Do not leave unattended or it could burn.
Take out and let cool to eating temperature
It pleases me more than I can say, that all 3 of my children are in love with cooking! Their cooking styles are slightly different than mine, and have evolved, based on their lifestyles and friends, but the important thing is they love to do it! We are always sharing pictures of food in “the family text” from restaurants someone went to or food that someone made. Our family traditions have changed dramatically, in the past few years, as our kids have moved out on their own. This is our first Christmas with all 3 of them traveling over 3 hours to make it home. But one thing that has not changed, and hopefully never will, is that there will be food…and lot’s of it!
Happy Holidays! Live Well and Eat Well! If you get a chance, this holiday season, capture the recipes that symbolize FAMILY and LOVE in your world, so the memories live on.
- Keith & Teresa Becker