Kebbeh Krass

There is a large variety of choices to prepare and cook kebbeh in the Lebanese cuisine. It varies between places and villages in Lebanon, each one has its distinctive flavor but kebbeh krass is mostly famous in zgharta and Ehden which located in north of Lebanon near the place where I come from. It is really recognized by its large size and round shape like a dome or a ball.

When I say kebbeh head or krass, it takes me back to where mom used to prepare them for us and stuff them with the most delicious stuffing seasoned with onions and pepper. The tricky thing is the way she grilled them on top of a charcoal barbecue. As kids we used to sit and enjoy eating the most delicious kebbeh ever.

I already presented the kebbeh recipe in my blog. You can find it in kebbeh bil sayniyeh. For the stuffing you can mix half the amount ground beef and the second half ground lamb which gives it an exquisite taste in addition of the spice seasoning.

Prep.time: one hour

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 10 to 12

INGREDIENTS:

Kebbeh’s recipe is found in the blog of kebbeh bil sayniyeh

Stuffing:

250 g. ground beef

250 gr. ground lamb or

500 gr. ground beef

1 large onion chopped

3 tbsp pine nuts

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp salt or as desired

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 black pepper

1/4 cinnamon

A glass spice cup

PREPARATION:

After the kebbeh is ready, prepare a small bowl of cold water to keep your hands wet while molding the kebbeh krass. With your hands make 2 balls the size of a small orange, wet a plastic sheet then tap the first ball of kebbeh until you make a patty less than a centimeter thick. Put 2 heaped tbsp of the stuffing in the centre of it. To speed up the procedure of moulding the top, use a glass spice cup then cover it well with another plastic sheet. Hold the other ball of kebbeh paste in one hand, form a hole in the middle using your fingers by turning the kebbeh ball and pressing its inside walls gently against your palm. Place it inside the bowl and continue the same method until you get the same thickness of the patty. Now flip gently the kebbeh moud on top of the flattened patty pressing downward until you cut through as shown in the images.

Pull up together the plastic sheet with the bowl. Pull away the excess paste and start fixing the edge of the kebbeh using your wet fingers until you get a beautifully shaped kebbeh head. Pull up the plastic sheet then hold it gently and place it on a lightly greased oven tray.

After you are done with all the kebbeh krass, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 20 mins then 5 to 10 mins from the top or until golden. You can grill the kebbeh heads over the barbecue if you desire but it has to be done very carefully to prevent it from breaking down.

For me moulding a kebbeh head is fun. I really enjoy preparing them and by the time you will get to the third one you will also find out how easy and gratifying it is.

ENJOY!!!