Fried Kibbeh Footballs with Pine Nut Filling and Tahini Sauce

Method

1. Rinse the bulgur once, soak it in cold water for 15 min, then drain and squeeze it hard by the handful. Meanwhile put the shell lamb and a mixing bowl in the freezer to get them very cold; cold meat stretches into a thinner, smoother shell.

   Add in this stepFine bulgur (#1) 100 g

2. Melt the ghee in a 20 cm pan over medium-low heat, add the pine nuts and stir constantly for 2 min until evenly golden, then tip them onto a plate.

   Add in this stepGhee 10 gPine nuts 20 g

   medium-low heat

3. In the same pan, cook the finely chopped filling onion over medium heat for 5 min until soft, then raise to medium-high heat, add the filling lamb and break it up, cooking for 5 min until no pink remains and it starts to brown. Stir in the allspice, cinnamon, pomegranate molasses, sumac and part of the salt, mix the pine nuts back in, spread out and chill in the fridge. Cold filling is far easier to stuff.

   Add in this stepOnion (for the filling) ½Minced lamb (for the filling) 120 gGround allspice ½ tspGround cinnamon 1 pinchPomegranate molasses 1 tspSumac ½ tspSalt 0.4 tsp

   medium heat→medium-high heat

4. Grate the shell onion finely and squeeze out the juice. Put the squeezed bulgur, cold lamb, onion, cumin, marjoram, mint, pepper and the rest of the salt in a food processor and blend, or knead, for 5 min, adding iced water a little at a time, until it is smooth and slightly sticky, like modelling clay. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.

   Add in this stepOnion (for the shell) ½Lean lamb leg, minced twice and very cold 160 gGround cumin ½ tspDried marjoram ½ tspDried mint ½ tspBlack pepper 1 pinchSalt 0.6 tspIced water 3 tbsp

5. Wet your hands with iced water and divide the shell into 8 balls. Hold one in your palm, push your index finger into the centre and rotate to hollow it into a long cup with walls about 5 mm thick. Fill with about 1½ teaspoons of filling, pinch the opening closed and shape into a football with pointed ends. Patch any cracks with an iced-water-dampened finger. Shaping them all takes about 10 min.

6. Make the sauce: stir the lemon juice and finely grated garlic into the tahini; it will seize and thicken at first. Add cold water a spoonful at a time, stirring, until it is smooth and pourable, like runny yogurt.

   Add in this stepTahini 3 tbspLemon (juice) ½Garlic clove ½Cold water (for the sauce) 3 tbsp

7. Pour at least 5 cm of oil into a 18 cm deep pot and heat on medium-high heat for 7 min to 175 °C (without a thermometer: small bubbles rise steadily around a wooden chopstick). Check the kibbeh are dry, then lower them in gently with a slotted spoon, 4 or 5 at a time. Adjust to medium heat to hold the temperature and fry for 4 min per batch, turning, until deep brown. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat at once, and never leave the pot unattended.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil, for frying 600 ml

   medium-high heat→medium heat

8. Drain on a rack for 2 min so the heat finishes spreading to the centre. Serve hot with the tahini sauce and lemon wedges. Break one open to check: the shell should be brown right through and the filling piping hot.