This recipe originally was years ago posted by Linda in TN. I follow the recipe exactly but instead of deep frying, I like to cook them outdoors on the grill, turning frequently.

STUFFED KIBBEH

For the shells:
8 (about 1 1/2 cups) ounces bulgur (cracked wheat)
1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, coarsely chopped
salt & pepper

For the stuffing:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Tbs. Pine nuts
1 pound ground lamb
salt and pepper

Oil for deep frying

To make the shells, soak the cracked wheat for about 20 minutes in hot water to cover by at least one inch; then drain and squeeze dry. Mix the meat, onion, salt and pepper for the shells until creamy. (An electric mixer can be used.) Then add the cracked wheat in batches and continue until the mixture is soft enough to work like a dough. Knead well by hand.

For the stuffing, fry the onion in oil until soft; then add the pine nuts and fry until golden. Add the meat, salt and pepper and stir until the meat changes color.

Wet your hands. Take a small egg-sized portion of the shell mixture and roll it into a ball. Make a hole in the center with your finger and shape into a thin-walled pot with a pointed bottom by turning and pressing it into your palm. Place some stuffing in the hole and pinch the top of the pot together to completely seal it inside. Shape the top into a point. Repeat with the rest of the mixtures, wetting your hands frequently.

Heat the oil. Deep-fry 4 or 5 kibbeh at a time until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Makes 15 to 20 depending on what size you make the balls.

I like to use Ina Garten's recipe, listed as Chicken with Tabbouleh.

I use the amounts listed for the chicken, scallions, parsley, cucumbers, and tomatoes only as guidelines ( I don't use the mint at all). Sometimes I add feta, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, bellpeppers (fresh or roasted), or whatever else I have in the house.

1½ cups chicken broth, boiling
1 cup bulgur wheat
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
pepper
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 cup minced scallions
1 cup chopped mint leaves
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, medium diced
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

In a heat proof bowl, pour the boiling chicken broth over the bulgur. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt. Stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the bulgur to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the chicken, scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for later.

Oly

Thank you both!

Tabouleh
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bulghar
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch fresh mint
3 green onions
1 large tomato
6 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
1 head romaine lettuce (optional)
Leave the bulghar in water for about 2 hours, then wash and squeeze out. Wash and chop the parsley, mint and green onions very fine. Dice the tomato. Combine all ingredients including bulghar. Add salt to taste, lemon juice, olive oil and mix well.
Serve in a bowl lined with lettuce leaves. This salad can be eaten with a fork, but the traditional way is to scoop up a bite of the mixture in a lettuce leaf and pop it into the mouth.
From "Aramco World" magazine

Note: I don't use quick this much mint, and I add 1 tablespoon of The Spice House za'atar blend (basically a blend of sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, hyssop and Greek oregano that seems to find its way into a lot of things at our house.) Also, use a really good olive oil for best results.

I make my own, and use a lot of bulgur. This time of the year, it's mounds of tabouleh (and all it's various spellings). I add it to breads, make bulgur burgers..... Here's a coleslaw twist. -Grainlady

Bulgur-Cabbage Salad
(source: Better Homes and Gardens - COOKING WITH WHOLE GRAINS)

2 c. warm water
1 c. bulgur wheat
In a mixing bowl combine the warm water and bulgur; let stand 1 hour. Drain bulgur well, pressing out excess water.
------------------
2 c. coarsely shredded green or red cabbage
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
1 c. chopped tomato
1/4 c. olive or salad oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. dried dillweed
Lettuce leaves

Stir in the shredded cabbage and the peas. Stir together the chopped tomato, olive oil or salad oil, lemon juice, and the dried dillweed. Stir tomato mixture into bulgur-cabbage mixture.

Cover and chill till serving time. To serve, spoon the sald into a lettuce-lined bowl. Makes 8 servings.

Mmmmm. A friend of mine made me a Lebanese dish once that he called Mjadra bul burgul. It was absolutely delicious. I didn't save the recipe, but I remember onions sauteed in olive oil, lentils, and burghul. Let me see if I can find a recipe online... I found one and provided a link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mjadra Recipe

Grainlady,
Thanks for pointing out there are "various spellings" of Tabbouleh/Tabouleh...it may not be the way you or I would spell it, but I referenced it that way because if someone were to look for the orginal recipe on the Food Network site, that's how it is listed. :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-tabbouleh-recipe/index.html

Oly

It's delicious just as a side dish to replace rice or potatoes, cooked in chicken stock.

I use it the way I use rice, for a different flavor. Fried rice? Fried bulghur. Rice stuffed peppers? Bulghur stuffed peppers. Etc.

I also like it in combination with other grains as a hot breakfast cereal.

I made beanthere_dunthat's recipe tonight, with the addition of cooked broccoli florets, shelled edamame, and a bit of chopped dill. LOVED it! DD liked it as well, but the rest of the family - not so much. But DH tasted the bulghur before the addition of any ingredients and said that he could see eating it for breakfast with milk and sugar (Splenda).

Tomorrow I'm going to try another recipe using bulghur.

Glad you and DD liked it. I practially live off it in the summer. My DH likes it, but my BIL says "men don't think parsley is a food." Hey, fine, whatever. More for me!

Maybe the link below is more what your DH has in mind?
I've not made it, don't have a clue how it would turn out.
I'm sort of tempted to try it, but I just can't get past the thought that it would taste like soggy cerreal. :D

Here is a link that might be useful: Apricot Bulgur Cake with Custard Sauce

What is the difference between bulgar wheat and kasha? I use kasha in my falafel recipe:

Falafel from Fava Beans
1 cup dried fava beans (or two cups fresh fava beans, shelled)
1 yellow or white onion
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup garbanzo flour
1/4 cup kasha or bread crumbs, as needed
Oil for deep frying (I use grapeseed)

To prepare the fava beans (unless you are using fresh), first wash them thoroughly, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for about two minutes, and then rinse them and wash them again. At this point, you may be able to remove more of the shells. They will have to be thoroughly rinsed at this point, and you may have to do this several times to remove all the bubbles. Then return them to the pan, cover with water and bring to a boil again. After the second boil, allow them to sit for at least an hour off the heat to soak. Then drain all the water and rinse them again. After they are drained, remove the remaining shells. If using fresh favas, simply blanche and shell them.

Put the drained beans in a large food processor, and purée. Add the onion, garlic, and fresh parsley in a food processor and process until the onion is minced (or you could mince these by hand). Remove to a large bowl and add the salt, cumin, coriander, baking powder, and pepper and mix thoroughly. Add the garbanzo flour and combine. Add the kasha or bread crumbs last, just enough to soak up excess moisture, as needed. Allow this mixture to stand for 1 hour. If the dough is too dry, you can add a few drops of water; if it is too wet, you can add more garbanzo flour.

Form into little patties 1/3 inch thick and 1-1/2 inches round. Or, you can form them into balls the size of walnuts. Deep-fry in a wok at 350-375° until toasty brown and crunchy on the outside, about 4 minutes.
NOTE: While the falafel batter is resting, prepare tahini-lemon sauce and chop a couple of cucumbers and tomatoes.

Tahini-Lemon Sauce

2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 green onions, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup parsley, stems removed
dash of salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (or less, to taste)
1/8 tsp paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Put all ingredients in a small food processor and combine until onions and parsley are finely minced. Store in the refrigerator.

Serve with warm pita bread. I sometimes add Romaine lettuce to the pita bread and a bit of Greek salad dressing.

*Note: Garbanzo beans can be substituted for fava beans, or you can used canned fava beans, which will require more kasha or garbanzo flour to offset the extra moisture, since they have already been cooked.

Lars

Lars -

"What is the difference between bulgar wheat and kasha?"

Bulgar is made from wheat, kasha is made from buckwheat.

Bulgar: The whole wheat berries have been steamed or cooked, then dried and cracked.

Kasha: Factory-roasted whole buckwheat

-Grainlady

So are bulgar and couscous the same thing? I've always thought tabouleh was made with couscous. My couscous container calls couscous a pasta.

Sally

No, they are not the same thing. As grainlady said, bulgar is a wheat berry that has been cooked, dried and cracked - nothing added. And you are correct, Sally, couscous is a teeny, tiny pasta.

Sally, I forgot to mention that I, too, have seen recipes for Tabouleh using couscous.

I'll have to try tabouleh using bulgar, since the only way I've ever seen it, that I know of, is with couscous. I don't make it very often because DH doesn't like it because of the tanginess.

Sally