Sumac Terrace · Main dishes

Baked Beef and Bulgur Kibbeh with Pine Nuts

Name: Baked Beef and Bulgur Kibbeh with Pine Nuts
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 250 g Fine bulgur; 500 g Ground beef; 2 whole Onion; 40 g Pine nuts; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon; 0.75 tsp Ground allspice; 1.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 3 tbsp Olive oil; 15 g Fresh flat-leaf parsley; 300 ml Water; 1 whole Lemon

A tray of fine bulgur and ground beef, layered with a filling of spiced beef, onion and pine nuts, scored and baked until the centre is cooked through and the top is browned.

75 minutes · Medium · 4 servings

Original house recipe · Not yet kitchen-tested

Ingredients

Fine bulgur250 g
Ground beef500 g
Onion2 whole
Pine nuts40 g
Ground cumin1 tsp
Ground cinnamon0.5 tsp
Ground allspice0.75 tsp
Salt1.5 tsp
Black pepper0.5 tsp
Olive oil3 tbsp
Fresh flat-leaf parsley15 g
Water300 ml
Lemon1 whole

Quantities describe recipe usage, not package sizes.

Allergen notes

Wheat (bulgur) and tree nuts (pine nuts).

Method

Soak the bulgur and split the beef

Put the bulgur in a bowl, cover it with 250 ml of the water and a pinch of the salt, and leave it for 20 minutes, until the grains are soft and the water is absorbed. Drain any leftover liquid and squeeze the bulgur dry in a clean towel. Set aside 200 g of the beef for the filling. The remaining 300 g is for the shell.

Cook the filling

Dice 1 onion. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until golden, then set half aside for the top. Warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the skillet. Cook the diced onion for 5 minutes. Add the 200 g beef and cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains. Health Canada’s safe internal temperature for ground beef is 71°C (160°F): check the crumbles. Stir in half the cumin, half the cinnamon, half the allspice, a third of the salt, the pepper and the pine nuts still in the pan. Chop the parsley and stir in half of it. Spread the filling on a plate to cool. Wash the spoon that touched the raw shell beef separately from this cooked filling.

Make the shell

Grate the remaining onion and squeeze it dry. Mix it with the soaked bulgur, the remaining 300 g raw beef, the rest of the spices and salt, and 2 tbsp of the water if the mix will not hold. Knead until it is a soft paste. Press half into a greased 20 cm baking dish. Spread the cooled filling over it. Pat the remaining shell mixture over the top and smooth it with wet hands. Score a diamond pattern with a knife. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and scatter the reserved pine nuts into the cuts.

Bake until the centre is safe

Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the top is deep brown. The raw beef in the shell has to cook through: Health Canada’s safe internal temperature for ground beef is 71°C (160°F). Check the centre of the tray, not just the browned top. Rest for 5 minutes, cut along the score lines, and serve with the remaining parsley and lemon wedges.

Fine bulgur, not coarse, is what lets the shell hold without cracking. Both the filling and the centre of the baked tray need to reach 71°C, because both contain ground beef.

AI-generated food image. Presentation is illustrative. This menu belongs to an imagined restaurant.