Beef

• Lahmajun
• Kibbeh

Lahmajun

Ingredients

• 0.5 Kg Flour
• 1.5 tsp Yeast
• 1.5 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Kg Ground beef
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 Onion, minced
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 1.5 tsp Baharat
• 2 Tbsp Tomato puree

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in half a cup of warm water.

2. Mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the water with the yeast. Little by little add warm water until you get a dough that is just a bit sticky.

3. Add the olive oil and knead for a few more minutes.

4. Put it in a bowl cover with a plate and let it rest for eight hours or more.

5. In a separate bowl mix the ground beef, garlic, onion, salt, baharat and tomato paste.

6. Divide the dough into 16 equal parts.

7. Roll down the dough balls to about 2mm thickness. Add flour to prevent it from sticking but not too much.

8. Spread the beef mixture on top of the dough. Fold them in half and seal them with a bit of water.

9. Brush both sides with a bit of olive oil.

10. Cook them on a heavy bottom pan over medium-low heat turning them over to allow them to brown evenly.

11. Serve with tahini sauce, tabbouleh and labneh.

Kibbeh

Ingredients

• 1 Kg Super extra lean triple ground beef
• 1 C Bulgur
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 1/2 C Pine nuts
• 2 Mint leaves, chopped
• Salt
• Baharat
• Olive oil

Preparation

1. Soak the bulgur in one cup of hot water. Let it rest until all the water has been absorbed. Press it down and remove any excess water.

2. Divide the ground beef in three equal parts.

3. In a large bowl mix two parts of the beef with the bulgur until it's well integrated. Add one and a half teaspoons of salt, two or three teaspoons of baharat and knead for a few minutes.

4. In a heavy bottom pan add two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook it stirring constantly until it becomes translucent.

5. Add the pine nuts and keep stirring to prevent them from burning.

6. Add the remaining beef, half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baharat and the mint leaves. Keep cooking stirring constantly until the moisture released by the beef is gone and the meat has browned.

7. Divide the beef/bulgur mix into two equal parts. Grease an 8x13 baking pan with olive oil. With wet hands lay the first half of the beef forming an even layer covering the baking pan completely. It should be about 1cm thick.

8. Add the cooked beef on top and over this add the second half of the beef/bulgur mixture as a top layer. This layer should be the same thickness as the bottom one. At this point you should have a "sandwich" of uncooked beef, cooked beef, uncooked beef.

9. Make diagonal cuts and drizzle with olive oil. The cuts are made so the olive oil can penetrate. Finally garnish with pine nuts.

10. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 20 minutes then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes or until browned to your taste.

11. Serve with pita bread, labneh, tabouleh, stuffed vine leaves and rice.