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LAMB KIBBEH



    Kibbeh is a classic Lebanese meat based dish which is typically made with lamb or beef.  These rugby shaped meatballs are stuffed with pine nuts, and some more mince infused with middle eastern spices. In Arabic, the word kibbeh itself means “the shape of a ball”.


    Fourteen years back when we moved to Oman, I was exposed to all the beautiful Middle Eastern cuisines, and learnt a lot more about their rich culture and food. Before moving to the Middle East, I was in Australia and I knew only little about this cuisine through my Iraqi friend who use to feed us with doner kebabs, falafels and hummus. My knowledge about this rich food culture expanded when we got an opportunity of moving to the Middle East.


    I learnt this kibbeh recipe from my Lebanese neighbor, and it has been added to our list of comfort foods. These kibbehs are prepared in two different ways, either fried or baked. I am sharing the recipe of a fried one, but I’ll share my baked kibbeh recipe soon.

    YIELDS: 15-18 pieces

    PREP TIME: 25 minutes

    COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

    PASSIVE TIME: 30 minutes



    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 kg Lamb mince

    • 2 medium onions, chopped

    • 1/4 cup pine nuts

    • 1 1/2 tsp all spice

    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

    • 1 tsp cumin powder

    • Freshly ground black pepper, few dashes

    • 3 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

    • 1 cup burghal

    • 1 cup warm water

    • Salt to taste

    • 1 tsp sumac (optional)

    • 2 tbsp oil

    • Oil for frying



    METHOD

    1. Soak burghal in water and keep aside for 30 minutes.

    2. Heat oil in a pan, add 1/3 of chopped onions, stir for couple of minutes to sweat the onions, add pine nuts and stir for another 2 minutes; to this, add 300g of mince and stir to cook for 6-8 minutes on medium high heat; season with salt and pepper, add sumac and remove in a bowl.

    3. In a food processor, put rest of the mince, onions, mint, and soaked burghal. Blend together until it’s well combined and is smooth in texture.

    4. Remove mince in a bowl, add salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, five spice and mix them well to combine together.

    5. Take a heaped tablespoon of mince in your palms and make a small golf sized ball, push your thumb in it to make cavity for filling and with the help of other hand, shape it to make a little cone, stuff it with 2 tsp of filling, join the open end to secure the filling and shape it into little rugby balls.

    6. Repeat with rest of the mince.

    7. Heat oil for deep frying, fry at medium heat at 190° C, until it turns golden brown and cooked.

    8. Serve with tahini sauce.



    COOK'S NOTES:

    • Kibbeh can be prepared in advance and fried later.

    • You can also bake the kibble recipe instead of frying.


    TOMATO AND WALNUT PESTO TART



      Make every day gourmet with this flavourful tomato tart that’s sure to satisfy your senses with the beautiful combination of Italian flavours from basil pesto and ricotta cheese filling.


      This tart was entirely made from home grown organic produce. Almost everyday I’m plucking these beautiful tomatoes from my backyard and try to make use of them in all different recipes...whether it’s in soups, curries, pastas, chutneys, jams, sandwiches, wraps or in salads, pretty much in everything you wanna add that kick of tomatoes.


      This exotic looking rich crust tart is filled with ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano layered with walnut basil pesto, which is again made from fresh basil growing in my backyard. To play with the summer’s bounty, I added all different colours and sizes of tomatoes and it looked sooo pretty, and tasted divine. A subtle hint of thyme in the crust adds a different dimension of flavours to the tart.


      Either make it as big tart for sharing, or just individual ones, they surely will grab the attention when served at your tea or dinner party.

      SERVES: 6-8

      PREP TIME: 30 minutes

      BAKING TIME: 55 minutes to 1 hour

      PASSIVE TIME: 30 minutes



      INGREDIENTS


      For Pastry:

      • 250g/2 cups of plain flour

      • 175g unsalted butter, cold and diced

      • 1/2 tsp salt

      • 1/4 tsp dried thyme

      • 2-3 tbsp cold water

      For Pesto:

      • 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves

      • 75g Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped

      • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

      • 2-3 cloves garlic

      • 1/8 tsp salt

      For Ricotta Filling:

      • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

      • 3 tbsp low fat creamy feta cheese

      • 1/4 cup Parmigiano Regianno, grated

      • Pinch of salt

      • Freshly cracked black pepper

      For Tomato Layer:

      • 8-10 mixed colour and different sized firm tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

      • 2-3 tsp Balsamic vinegar

      • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

      • 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

      • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

      • Few basil leaves for garnish



      METHOD

      1. In a stand mixer bowl, sift flour, add salt, thyme and butter, blend them together with paddle attachment until it resembles breadcrumbs.

      2. Add water and blend for few seconds until the dough combines and form a ball. Do not over work the dough.

      3. Remove the dough on a floured surface, gently knead to bring everything together, take care not to over work the dough. Wrap it in a cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

      4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

      5. Take the pastry out from the fridge, remove cling wrap and place it on a floured surface.

      6. Roll the dough in a 7 x 16 inch rectangle. Lift and wrap the pastry gently from longer end around the rolling pin and transfer by unwrapping on the loose based rectangular tart pan. Press the pastry into the pan and trim any excess around the edges.

      7. Line the pastry with parchment paper, spread baking beans on top and blind bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper and bake further 5 minutes until the pastry is crisp. Remove to cool slightly.

      8. As the pastry is baking in oven, make pesto sauce by blending all ingredients together in a bender and keep aside.

      9. Make the ricotta filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Keep aside.

      10. Take 5 tbsp of pesto sauce and spread on the cooked pastry. Pour and spread ricotta cheese filling on top. Arrange tomato slice, overlapping slightly on each other. Season it with kosher salt and pepper and drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top.

      11. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan, garnish with basil leaves, cut into slices and serve warm.


      COOK'S NOTES:

      • I made this tart with plain flour but you can certainly make it gluten-free by replacing the plain flour with gluten-free flour.

      • Balsamic vinegar gives a slight sweet note to balance the tartness of the tomatoes. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar handy, drizzle little honey instead.


      FISH AMRITSARI


        Now, this is a dish which belongs to the city where I was born (Amritsar), though I never stayed there, but visited many times because it's my dad's home town and my grandparents lived there. Fish Amritsari is such a popular and delicious dish that your menu won’t be complete without ordering one in your non-veg platter at a restaurant in North India. Try this easy to make recipe at home and impress your friends and family.



        SERVES: 4 servings

        PREP TIME: 30 minutes

        COOKING TIME: 5-10 minutes

        TOTAL TIME: 35-40 minutes



        INGREDIENTS

        • 500 gms fish fillets (White, Sole, Pomfret)

        • 1 tsp ginger paste

        • 1 tsp garlic paste

        • 2 tbsp lemon juice

        • ½ tsp red chilli powder

        • ½ tsp garam masala

        • Salt to taste

        • 1/8 tsp food colouring (optional)

        • 2 tbsp besan/ chickpea flour/ gram flour

        • 1 tsp carom Seeds (ajwain)

        • 1 tbsp yoghurt

        • 1 cup oil for deep frying

        • 1 tsp chaat masala

        • 1 lemon wedges (for garnishing)

        • 1 tbsp egg white


        METHOD

        1. Wash fish fillets, pat dry and cut them into 1 ½ inch medium sized pieces. Add salt and lemon juice and keep aside to marinade for 15-20 minutes.

        2. In a separate bowl, add besan, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, garam masala, carom seeds, yoghurt, food colouring, egg white and little salt, combine well to make paste, add marinated fish pieces, mix gently to coat well.

        3. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry fish in small batches and drain on absorbent paper.

        4. Sprinkle chaat masala and serve hot with lemon wedges and mint coriander chutney on the side.


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