Tasty Baked Kibbe (Kobeiba Shamy)

This is one my favorite dishes that Gedo makes.   There are probably endless variations to this dish, but I love this version.  Not only is it great the day you make,  the leftovers freeze really well.  We enjoy eating the kibbe with a little yogurt dip and hummus.  It is great as a lunch leftover since it can be served at room temperature.

This dish is also very healthy because the burgul wheat is high in fiber, it is baked so it is low in fat. It is also very economical because the wheat helps to stretch the meat.

In Egypt, this dish is called Kobeiba Shamy. It is named after an ethnic population in Egypt, the Shamy people,  who originated in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. The Shamy people are famous for their delicious dishes, which are distinct in style and flavor from other Egyptian foods.

Now Gedo is actually from Jordan, so his style of making this dish is very authentic.

Ingredients:

The crust layers

• 1 lb of ground lean ground beef
  
• 2 cups of burghul #2 (Bulgur wheat)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper
• 1/8 tsp of allspice
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
  

The meat filling

• 2 lbs coarsely chopped lean beef
• 2-3 medium size onions
• 1/2 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped parsley
• 1/2 tbsp of salt
• 1/2 tbsp of black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp of allspice
• 1 tbsp of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• two 9 x 12 baking dishes
  

Directions:

1. Rinse and soak the burgul wheat for about 30 minutes in lukewarm water.  I like to use the #2 burgul because it is coarse giving the dish a nice texture.  Gedo uses the finer burgul.  This is just a matter of preference.
2. Trim and coarsely chop the lean beef. 
3. Set the beef on a paper towel which will help to soak any liquid from the beef.  This will ensure that the beef brown nicely, rather than be steamed in its own juices.  Set the meat aside.   If you are short on time, you can substitute this ingredient with ground beef.
4. Coarsely chop the onions.Clean and trim the parsley. 
   
5. Coarsely chop the parsley.

4. Finely chop the garlic.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
6. Using a large sauce pan, heat it on medium high.  Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and brown the coarsely chopped beef.
7. Mix in the salt, pepper, oregano and allspice. 
   
8. Once the meat is nicely browned, add the chopped onions and garlic.  Cook them for a few minutes, until fragrant.
9. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into the beef mixture.  Mix the parsley in and cook until the parsley is wilted.  Remove from the heat and set it aside.   

10. Drain the burgul and place in a large container.  Add the ground meat and the salt, pepper and allspice for the crust.  Now for some fun.  You need to thoroughly incorporate the beef with the burgul.  This is best done using your hands.  Kneed the mixture with your hands until it is completely mixed together.  It should have the consistency of dough.  Divide the mixture into approximately 4 portions.  Two of the portions will be used for the bottom layers and 2 will become the top crust for the dishes.    
11. Drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil into each of the 2 baking dishes.Take 1/4 of the crust mixture and press into each of the baking dishes.  Use your hands to work the mix into a nice even bottom layer.  There should be no gaps in the layer.
12. Diviide the cook meat mixture between the 2 dishes.  Spread it even over the dishes.

   

13. For each of the top crust layer, take a small quantity of the mixture and form a flat patty with your hand.  Careful place it on top of the other layers.  Continue until you have cover the entire dish.  You will have small gaps as you cover the layers with the final crust.  Repeat this process for the remaining dish.
14. Fill a small bowl with water and wet your hand.  Take your wet hand and careful smooth the top layer of the dish until all the small gaps have been fill in.  Do not press hard.  It should be a gentle smoothing over.  Continue doing this until you have a nice smooth top layer.
15. Using a sharp knife, first score the dish into 3 lengthwise sections and 4 crosswise sections.  When you are satisfied with the size of your sections, Cut the sections all the way through.
16. Place a few pieces of pine nuts onto each portion.  Gently press the nuts in.
17. Bake for about 30 minutes in the oven.  You will know that the dish is done when the top becomes a nice golden brown.  
    
18. Cool for about 10 minutes and serve with yogurt sauce and hummus.
19. One of the dishes will generously serve 4-6.  The other dish can be refrigerated or frozen.

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