Lamb Kibbeh Balls with Pine Nut Filling

Name: Lamb Kibbeh Balls with Pine Nut Filling
Prep time: 56 min
Cook time: 42 min
Total time: 1 h 38 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 1 cup (170 g) fine (#1) bulgur, rinsed in a sieve under cold water; 9 oz (250 g) lean boneless lamb leg or shoulder, all fat and sinew trimmed, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes, very cold; 3½ oz (100 g) small yellow onion, peeled and quartered; ½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice; ½ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper; 1¼ tsp (7 g) fine sea salt; ¼ cup (60 ml) ice water, plus extra in a bowl for wetting your hands; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; ¼ cup (40 g) pine nuts; 5¼ oz (150 g) yellow onion, peeled and very finely chopped (about ⅛ inch / 3 mm); 7 oz (200 g) ground lamb, at room temperature for 15 minutes; ¾ tsp (1½ g) ground allspice; ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp (½ g) freshly ground black pepper; ¾ tsp (4½ g) fine sea salt; 2 tsp (10 ml) pomegranate molasses (optional); 6 cups (1500 ml) neutral oil such as sunflower or canola, enough for about 2 inches (5 cm) depth in a 5-quart pot; 1 cup (240 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, cold, for dipping; 1 whole (120 g) large lemon, cut into 8 wedges

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crisp, deep-brown shells of fine bulgur and ground lamb hide a juicy filling of spiced lamb, onion and toasted pine nuts. Serve them hot with lemon and cool yogurt as a make-ahead-friendly party snack.

Prep: 56 min
Cook: 42 min
Wait: 1 hr 5 min
Total: 2 hr 43 min
Makes: 24 kibbeh balls (3 per person as a party snack)

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the shell
1 cup (170 g) fine (#1) bulgur, rinsed in a sieve under cold water
9 oz (250 g) lean boneless lamb leg or shoulder, all fat and sinew trimmed, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes, very cold
3½ oz (100 g) small yellow onion, peeled and quartered
½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice
½ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
1¼ tsp (7 g) fine sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) ice water, plus extra in a bowl for wetting your hands
For the filling
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup (40 g) pine nuts
5¼ oz (150 g) yellow onion, peeled and very finely chopped (about ⅛ inch / 3 mm)
7 oz (200 g) ground lamb, at room temperature for 15 minutes
¾ tsp (1.5 g) ground allspice
½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon
¼ tsp (0.5 g) freshly ground black pepper
¾ tsp (4.5 g) fine sea salt
2 tsp (10 ml) pomegranate molasses (optional)
For frying and serving
6 cups (1500 ml) neutral oil such as sunflower or canola, enough for about 2 inches (5 cm) depth in a 5-quart pot
1 cup (240 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, cold, for dipping
1 whole (120 g) large lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Equipment (8)

Food processor (at least 10-cup / 2.4 L capacity)
Large skillet, 12-inch (30 cm)
Heavy 5-quart (4.7 L) Dutch oven or deep pot for frying
Deep-fry or instant-read thermometer
Fine-mesh sieve and clean kitchen towel
Rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, for shaped kibbeh
Wire rack set over a baking sheet lined with paper towels, for draining
Slotted spoon or spider

Steps

Before you start

Buy fine (#1) bulgur. Coarse bulgur makes a gritty shell that cracks when fried.
Put the lamb for the shell in the freezer for 15 minutes before you start. Very cold meat gives a smooth paste that doesn't turn greasy.
Ask the butcher for lean leg or shoulder lamb with the fat trimmed. Too much fat makes the shells fall apart in the oil.
Set out a bowl of ice water for shaping and a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer for the oil.
Read the timing: about 65 minutes of the total is chilling and resting, and you can do the shaping ahead.

1
Soak the bulgur
- Put the rinsed bulgur in a bowl and pour over enough cold water to cover it by 1 inch (2.5 cm).
- Leave it to soak while you make the filling, about 35 minutes in all.
- Don't use warm water, which makes the grains mushy.
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Ready when: Grains are tender enough to crush between your fingers, with no hard core.
Tip: Start the lamb for the shell chilling in the freezer now.
2
Cook the filling
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pine nuts and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Scoop them out onto a plate.
- Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, add the ground lamb and break it into small crumbs with a spatula.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the allspice, cinnamon, pepper, salt and pomegranate molasses, if using, and cook for 1 more minute.
- Return the pine nuts to the pan and stir in.
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Ready when: Pine nuts are golden, onion is soft and translucent, and the lamb is browned with no pink and no pooled liquid.
Tip: If there is any liquid left in the pan, cook it off. A wet filling will burst the shells.
3
Cool the filling
- Spread the filling on a plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- It must be cold and dry before you shape the kibbeh, because hot filling softens the shell paste.
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Ready when: Filling feels cold to the touch.
4
Make the shell paste
- Take the lamb out of the freezer.
- Drain the bulgur in a sieve, then wrap it in a clean towel and squeeze hard to remove as much water as you can.
- Put the cubed shell lamb and quartered onion in the food processor and pulse 8 to 10 times, then process for 30 seconds until it is a fine paste.
- Add the squeezed bulgur, allspice, pepper and salt.
- Process 30 seconds, then add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time while processing, for about 1 minute more.
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Ready when: The mixture is a smooth, sticky, pale-pink paste with no visible bulgur grains or meat bits. It should hold together when pressed.
Tip: If your processor is small, make the paste in two batches so the motor doesn't overheat.
5
Chill the shell paste
- Scrape the paste into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm it up.
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Ready when: Paste feels cold and holds its shape when scooped.
6
Shape the kibbeh
- Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Dip your hands in the ice water.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 g) of shell paste and roll it into a ball, then press it into a 3-inch (7.5 cm) cup in your palm, making the wall as thin as ¼ inch (6 mm) and even all round.
- Put 1 heaped teaspoon (about 12 g) of cold filling in the center.
- Pinch the edges together to seal, then roll gently into a smooth ball.
- Place it on the sheet.
- Re-wet your hands often.
- You should get 24.
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Ready when: Each ball is smooth, crack-free and fully sealed with no filling showing.
Tip: Patch any cracks with a dab of wet paste. A crack lets oil in and the ball can burst.
7
Chill the shaped balls
- Refrigerate the sheet of kibbeh, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Chilled balls hold their shape in the hot oil.
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Ready when: Balls feel firm and dry on the surface.
Tip: You can stop here and freeze them (see make-ahead).
8
Heat the frying oilOven 350°F / 175°C
- Pour the frying oil into the 5-quart pot so it is about 2 inches (5 cm) deep.
- Heat over medium-high heat until a thermometer reads 350°F (175°C).
- Keep the thermometer in the oil and adjust the burner to hold that temperature.
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Ready when: Thermometer reads 350°F (175°C); a pinch of shell paste sizzles at once.
Tip: Never fill the pot more than halfway with oil.
9
Fry in batchesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Lower 6 kibbeh balls into the oil with a slotted spoon, so the oil doesn't splash.
- Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning them occasionally, until deep golden-brown and crisp.
- Lift out with the slotted spoon and set them on the wire rack.
- Let the oil return to 350°F (175°C) between batches.
- Fry the remaining 3 batches.
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Ready when: Shells are deep brown and crisp, and the center of one ball reads 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Tip: Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature and makes greasy, soft kibbeh. Cut one open from your first batch to check.
10
Rest and serve
- Let the kibbeh rest on the rack for 5 minutes so the filling settles and the outsides stay crisp.
- Serve warm on a platter with lemon wedges and a bowl of cold yogurt for dipping.
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Ready when: Surface is crisp and dry to the touch, not greasy.
Tip: Squeeze lemon over the kibbeh just before eating.

Good to know

Tips

Squeeze the soaked bulgur very dry. Extra water is the most common reason kibbeh fall apart in the fryer.
Keep your hands wet and the paste cold. Warm, sticky paste is hard to thin out evenly.
Fry one test ball first. If it bursts, chill the rest longer or squeeze the bulgur drier.
Keep the oil at 350°F (175°C). Lower and the balls soak up oil; higher and the shell burns before the center is done.

Make ahead

"Shape the kibbeh up to 24 hours ahead. Cover the tray tightly and refrigerate. Or freeze them on the tray until solid (about 2 hours), then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Fry straight from the freezer at 325°F (165°C) for 7 to 8 minutes, without thawing."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 2 hours (serving). Refrigerator: cooked kibbeh keep in an airtight container up to 3 days. Freezer: cooked kibbeh keep up to 2 months. Reheat from the fridge or freezer on a rack on a baking sheet at 375°F (190°C) for 10 to 15 minutes (15 to 20 minutes from frozen), until hot in the center and crisp."

Substitutions

lean boneless lamb leg or shoulder → lean beef sirloin or top round. Gives a milder flavor; trim the fat and process the same way.
pine nuts → slivered almonds or chopped walnuts. Toast until golden in the same way; walnuts give a more earthy flavor.
plain whole-milk yogurt → labneh or a tahini-lemon sauce. Use labneh as it is; thin tahini with lemon juice and water to a pourable sauce.
pomegranate molasses → 1 teaspoon lemon juice with ½ teaspoon honey. Gives the same sweet-sour note; omit if you prefer.