And my dinner was...

Kibbee

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, 1/2 finely chopped and 1/2 pureed
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 for sauteeing and 1/2 for basting
• 1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat (Publix)
• salt (3 tsp for the shell, to taste for filling)
• pepper (2 tsp for the sheel, to taste for filling)
• dried mint, 1 tbsp
• allspice (1 tsp for the shell, to taste for filling)
• cinnamon (1 tsp for the shell, to taste for filling)

Cover bulgur wheat with about 1 inch of cold water and soak for 30 mins.

For the filling, saute finely chopped onions and pine nuts in butter until onions are soft and pine nuts are slightly roasted (be careful not to burn!). Add 1/3 ground beef and cook until just no longer pink; don't overcook! Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice; usually 1 tsp each but adjust to your taste.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Season the remaining ground beef with salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and dried mint. Add pureed onion. Squeeze excess water out of wheat and add to raw ground beef mixture. Mix well until the mixture is elastic.

Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. For each kibbee, shape a meatball approximately the size of large egg, press on your palm into a thin patty, place a heaping spoon of filling, and carefully bring edges together, sealing and forming a football-shaped kibbee. Place on the cookie sheet and lightly baste with melted butter. Bake for 25-30 mins.

Note: I used only 1/2 of ingredients and made 8 kibbee. Kibbee freezes well, too, and can be quickly heated in a microwave as needed.

I served kibbee with...

Tomato-Cucumber Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1-2 ripe tomatoes, chopped -- fairly large chunks
• 1 pickling cucumber, chopped -- fairly large chunks
• 1/2 finely chopped onion (small)
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil to taste
• Finely chopped basil, parsley, or mint
• Optional: finely chopped garlic (just a little bit)

Mix tomatoes, cucumber, onions, and herbs. Salt to taste. Important -- do NOT add oil before salt; salt doesn't dissolve in oil. If you like garlic (I don't), add just a little bit. Add olive oil to taste.