Monday, August 3, 2009

E is for Egypt and all things Elegant in Food!

The short wait until Egypt was most excellent - Bill and Alicia hosted a wonderful evening and we ate well. Unfortunately, my camera did not make it home with us, so Bill is attempting to find the photos we took with his camera...might take a little while!

Here is the first recipe...lots of ground beef, but they were tasty. Some sort of salsa-ish type of dip would really add to a somewhat bland appetizer.

Kibbeh (Stuffed Cracked Wheat Shells)


Ingredients
FOR THE SHELLS
250 g (8 oz) burghul (cracked wheat)
500 g (1 lb) minced beef
1 onion, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper

FOR THE STUFFING
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. sunflower oil
2 Tbs. pine-nuts
500 g (1 lb) minced beef
salt and pepper
sunflower oil for deep-frying

Directions
To make the shells, soak the cracked wheat for about 20 minutes in water, then drain. Blend the meat, onion, salt and pepper in a food processor. Then process again, in batches, with the cracked wheat and continue until the mixture is soft enough to work like a dough. Knead well by hand

For the stuffing, fry the onion in oil till soft, then add the pine-nuts and fry till golden. Add the meat, salt and pepper and stir until the meat changes colour.

Wet your hands. Take a small egg-sized portion of the shell mixture and roll into a ball. Make a hole in the centre with your finger and shape into a thin-walled pot with a pointed bottom by turning and pressing it in your palm. Place some stuffing into the hole and pinch the top of the pot together to seal it. Shape the top into a point. Repeat with the rest of the mixtures, wetting your hands frequently.

Heat the oil. Deep-fry 4 or 5 kibbeh at a time until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot.

Recipe found at: http://egyptianfood.org/kibbeh-stuffed-cracked-wheat-shells/



No comments:

Post a Comment