This dish was featured at the Stardew - a wonderful little Lebanese
restaurant in Westwood (part of Los Angeles). This was a family affair run with
love by brother Larry Nahas and his sisters, Sadie and Marcia. Sadie did all the
cooking, Marcia served and Larry made sure everything ran smoothly. Doris Day
was one of their regular customers.
Aside from kibbe, the restaurant
featured other Lebanese delicacies such as fatayer, kusa meshee, meshee areesh,
and of course shish-kabob.
While the restaurant has been closed since
1978, sisters Sadie and Marcia are keeping the Stardew's memory alive and have
been kind enough to share this recipe with us.
Sadie, Larry and Marcia in
front of the Stardew when it first opened in 1962.
Filling #1
2 lbs round steak (or lamb), trimmed of fat and ground twice
1 cup
bulgar wheat, medium grind
1/2 onion, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2
tsp salt
dash cinnamon
Soak the bulgar wheat in water for 1/2 hour, drain well and add the meat. Mix very well. .
Filling #2
3/4 cup ground round
1/2 cup grated onions
1/2 cup pignola nuts
dash
cinnamon or allspice
In a frying pan, saute the beef with the onions. Salt and pepper to taste; add a dash of either cinnamon or allspice.
In a separate frying pan, saute the pignola nuts is a small amount of oil (corn or canola). When finished, combine the pignola nuts with the beef/onion and mix well.
Now, take a baking pan and make three layers of the above fillings. Make the bottom layer 1/4" to 1/2" thick using Filling #1. Then make a middle layer 1/4"-1/2" thick using Filling #2. Finally make a top layer 1/4" - 1/2" thick using Filling #1.
Cut into 1" x 1" squares while still in the pan. Brush the top of the kibbe with butter (optional). Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. If you choose , you can brown the top at higher heat during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Sadie suggests that you serve the kibbe with a cucumber salad and rice. A simple cucumber salad can be made by combining sliced cucumbers, yogurt, a little garlic powder or fresh mashed garlic, a pinch of dried mint leaves, and a touch of salt. Enjoy!
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