Kibe Casserole
This may not sound like a Brazilian dish, but we have Syrian-Lebanese influence to thank for this dinner staple found in nearly every Rio family’s repertoire.
This may not sound like a Brazilian dish, but we have Syrian-Lebanese influence to thank for making this an every day food in our life. Kibe is a staple found in nearly every Carioca family’s repertoire. Basically, it is a mixture of ground beef, herbs, spices, and bulgur wheat, which funny enough in Brazil is sold as “wheat for Kibe.”
At almost every bar and as a street food, you will find Kibe snacks, lovely little two-bite pieces of deep fried deliciousness. In Carioca homes, we make them as a “Kibe de Bandeija” or “Kibe Tray,” a healthier take, but equally loved and found in nearly every family’s repertoire.
Our love for Kibe and Esfihas, another Middle Eastern snack that is embedded in our food culture, shows in the success of Habib’s, a Brazilian fast food chain dedicated to this cuisine. According to Wikipedia, Habib's is currently the biggest Arabic fast-food franchise in the world and the third biggest fast-food company in Brazil (according to wikipedia).
My version of Kibe is pretty classic. I go heavier on herbs because I like the freshness they give, and the basting of oil and lemon seems to do the trick to keep Kibe from getting dry. I like to serve it with a green salad with a tzatziki dressing, and a classic cup of “caldo de feijao” for a complete meal.
Watch a video with this recipe here.
Servings: 8
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
What You Need
3/4 cup coarsely ground bulgur wheat
2/3 cup water
1 onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup pine nuts
1 lemon
2 tablespoon olive oil
Steps
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Boil the water and pour into a medium bowl with the bulgur to hydrate it, no straining needed
While the bulgur sits, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a hot pan and cook the onion on medium heat for about 5 minutes
Add the garlic, cumin and nutmeg and cook another 3 minutes
Add the beef to a large bowl and mix with the salt and pepper
When everything cools off, combine the onion mix, the bulgur, the mint, the parsley and the pine nuts with the beef
Mix the juice of a lemon with 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Use a basting brush to moisten the bottom of a 9 inch cake pan (or an 8x8 pyrex in a pinch) with about half of the lemon juice and olive oil mixture
Add the beef mixture to the pan and press down to firm it
Use the basting brush to brush the top of the beef mixture in the pan with the lemon juice/ olive oil mixture
Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes uncovered
Serving Suggestion
Serve with a dash of Scarlet Fire Hot Sauce, alongside a simple green salad and a cup of black beans.
