Baked Vegetarian Kibbeh

I love the classic torpedo-shaped kibbeh that often appear as part of Lebanese meze, but baked kibbeh (bil sanieh means ‘in the pan’) is much quicker to make and more popular as a family meal. Lakteen means ‘trick’ in Arabic and the trick in kibbeh lakteen bil sanieh is that it’s meat-free. It’s slightly crumblier than kibbeh made with minced lamb, but just as delicious. Vegetarian kibbeh is often made with pumpkin to help hold the shell together, but I find potato works well too. Finely shaved red cabbage is the typical filling for kibbeh lakteen, though I sometimes replace it with radicchio because I like the way its bitterness contrasts with the sweet caramelised onion and tart barberries. This recipe makes enough kibbeh for 4 people as a main course, or more as part of a meze, but it’s hard to find a baking dish that holds a smaller quantity – and leftovers keep for a week in the fridge and reheat well. Try kibbeh lakteen bil sanieh with a glass or 2 of Delatite Hell’s Window rosé, a naturally fermented blend of gewürztraminer, pinot gris and riesling with a slight spritz.

Serves 4–8

Ingredients

125g fine burghul (¾ cup/5½ oz))
250g floury potato, peeled and diced (about 1 medium)
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt flakes, crushed
1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 Spice (baharat)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing (40ml)
Plain natural yoghurt or Labneh (see video below), for serving

Cabbage Filling

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (40ml)
1 red onion, finely diced
Salt flakes, to taste
⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (50g/1¾oz)
220g red cabbage, finely shredded and chopped (about ⅛ cabbage)
2 tablespoons dried barberries

Method

Place burghul in a strainer and rinse well under running water.
Drain well then place in a bowl, cover and set aside for at least 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
Meanwhile, boil potato in salted water for about 10 minutes, until tender. Drain well.
Make Cabbage Filling: Place oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add onion and a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or so, until starting to colour. Stir in pine nuts, cabbage and barberries and cook for a further 8–10 minutes, until cabbage is quite wilted. Set aside.
Place potato and chickpeas in a large mixing bowl and use a potato masher to roughly crush them.
Add onion, salt, 7 Spice, cumin and burghul and use your hands to mix thoroughly into a coarse paste. Divide in half.
Brush the base and sides of a baking dish well with oil (about 21 x 26cm/8ʺ x 10ʺ).
Spread half the burghul mixture evenly over the base of the dish, using damp hands to press it down firmly.
Spread Cabbage Filling evenly over the top, leaving a 1cm (½ʺ) border all around.
Use damp hands to flatten pieces of remaining burghul mixture, dotting them over the filling and gently pressing them together to form a smooth layer. Tuck them in around the edges to ensure the filling is completely enclosed.
Either run a firm spatula around the sides of the baking dish to loosen the mixture or, if the dish is a little larger, pat the sides of the kibbeh in to ensure the burghul mixture is completely enclosing the filling.
Use a firm spatula or pallet knife to mark a diamond pattern in the top layer.
Drizzle with oil and brush it evenly over the top.
Place in oven for 40–45 minutes, until well-coloured, turning the overhead grill on for the last few minutes if necessary.
Using the diamond pattern as a guide, cut kibbeh into pieces and serve with yoghurt or labneh.