KIBBEH SUMMAQIYEH
SYRIA
The first time I had this Syrian kibbeh was many years ago, long before the sad destruction of Aleppo, at the home of Joumana Kayali. In those days, the city was the ultimate destination for anyone visiting Syria, not only because of its historic monuments and medieval souks, the most enchanting of the Middle East, but also for its unrivaled culinary heritage, having earned the title of gastronomic capital of the Middle East from as far back as the eleventh century. The city’s supremely sophisticated cuisine is quite distinct from that of Damascus, the capital, having been influenced by a succession of occupiers as well as refugee communities such as Armenians who fled there from neighboring Turkey at the beginning of the twentieth century. Also, the cooking of Aleppo’s Christian communities is different from that of the city’s Muslim ones. Joumana is Muslim and this kibbeh is one of her specialties. Once I discovered it and fell in love with it, I made a point of trying it in other places, such as one of my favorite restaurants then, Bazar el-Sharq—set in what had been the armory of the Aleppo Governorate in Ottoman times—where Chef Emad had it on the menu. The recipe below is a combination of Joumana’s and Chef Emad’s. It is a time-consuming dish, but well worth trying. It is one of the more intriguing and tastier kibbeh variations.
SERVES 4 TO 6
FOR THE STUFFING
Heaping ¼ cup (30 g) pine nuts
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
3 medium onions (1 pound/450 g total), finely chopped
3½ ounces (100 g) boneless lamb leg, trimmed of fat and finely ground (see Note)
1 teaspoon ground allspice or Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
½ teaspoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts
FOR THE KIBBEH
9 ounces (250 g) boneless lamb leg, trimmed of fat and finely ground (see Note)
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), grated on the fine side of a grater
½ cup (100 g) fine bulgur, rinsed under cold water and drained
1 teaspoon ground allspice or Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
FOR THE SAUCE
¼ cup (50 g) dried sumac berries
2¼ pounds (1 kg) lamb from the shanks, cut into medium chunks
3 medium onions (1 pound/450 g total), peeled, 1 kept whole and 2 halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
Coarse sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups (750 ml) tomato puree (passata)
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
¾ pound (350 g) Japanese eggplants or 1 large globe eggplant, peeled lengthwise in stripes (if using a big eggplant, quarter it lengthwise, then cut across into medium-thick chunks)
2 teaspoons dried mint
5 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Bread, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. To make the stuffing: Spread the pine nuts on a nonstick baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté, stirring regularly, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add the ground lamb and cook, mashing and stirring it with a wooden spoon or fork to break up the lumps, until it loses all traces of pink. Season with the spices and salt to taste. Add the pomegranate molasses and mix well, then stir in the toasted pine nuts and the walnuts. Take off the heat and let cool.
4. To make the kibbeh: Prepare a bowl of lightly salted cold water and have it at hand. Put the ground meat in a large bowl. Add the grated onion, bulgur, spices, and salt to taste and mix together with your hand, dipping it every now and then in the salted water to moisten your hand and add a little water to the kibbeh to soften it. Knead for about 3 minutes, or until you have a fairly smooth, malleable mixture. Pinch off a little of the kibbeh and either taste raw to adjust the seasoning if need be, or sear it in a hot pan to taste.
5. Divide the kibbeh into 20 equal portions and roll them into balls, each the size of a large plum. Lightly moisten your hands in the salted water and place a kibbeh ball in the palm of one hand. With the index finger of your other hand burrow a hole into the kibbeh ball while rotating it—this makes the hollowing out easier and more even. You should produce a thin meat shell resembling a topless egg. Be careful not to pierce the bottom or sides of the kibbeh shell.
6. Put 1½ to 2 teaspoons of stuffing inside the kibbeh shell, gently pushing the stuffing in with a finger. Pinch the open edges together and gently mold back into a fully rounded shape—Syrians make their kibbeh balls round rather than oval like the Lebanese, Jordanians or Palestinians. Put the finished kibbeh ball on a nonstick baking sheet. Continue making the kibbeh balls until you have used up both the kibbeh mixture and stuffing. Place in the fridge or freezer to firm them up.
7. To make the sauce: Put the sumac berries in a small saucepan. Add 1½ cups (375 ml) water and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and let infuse while you prepare the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.
8. Put the meat and the whole peeled onion in a large saucepan and add 4 cups (1 liter) water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, skimming any froth that rises to the surface as the water comes to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt, then reduce the heat, cover, and let bubble gently for 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. Discard the onion.
9. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion wedges and fry until lightly golden. Strain the lamb broth, reserving the meat, and add to the onions, followed by the passata. Strain the sumac liquid and add it to the pot. Bring back to a boil and adding the butter. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce bubble gently for 15 minutes.
10. Add the eggplants and stewed lamb and cook for 15 more minutes, or until the eggplants are nearly done. Then add the mint, garlic, and lemon juice and drop the kibbeh balls into the sauce. Season with the black pepper and more salt if necessary and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the meatballs are done. Taste and adjusting the seasoning if needed. Serve very hot in soup bowls with good bread.
NOTE: Either have your butcher finely mince the lamb, or if you have a meat grinder, grind it once through the fine disk.