It seems as though all I’ve been talking about recently is Kebbeh and that’s because I really never tire of it, especially as they’re are so many variations of it. The below recipe is just one other example.I recently gifted my friend Sacha a Middle Eastern cookbook entitled “Turquoise” authored by Greg and Lucy Malouf and full of tales about their journey through Turkey. The book is exquisite; from the turquoise cover (which happens to be my favorite colour), to the delicious recipes and beautiful photography.
Sacha put the book to good use rather quickly, inviting us to dinner just a few days later to sample a couple of the dishes she chose to make. This recipe in particular was very memorable.
The recipe in Greg Maalouf’s book is called a kofte, which in Lebanon would point to a meat & herb mixture, usually molded onto a skewer or simply flattened into a patty. As the ingredients used to make the shell are identical to what would be used to make a traditional pumpkin kebbeh, I’ve opted to call it kebbeh rather than kofta. A more traditional stuffing would call for chickpeas, spinach and pine nuts but I agree with Greg’s flavours wholeheartedly too. I did substitute parsley with sage and baked them purely for convenience’ sake.
- For the shell:
- 550g of pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp hot Turkish pepper paste, or harissa
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 250g fine burghul, rinsed and drained well
- generous pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- vegetable oil for light basting
- For the walnut-feta filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- a small handful fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 50g walnuts
- 180g feta
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Prepare the pumpkin puree. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion, cumin, pepper paste (Harissa), paprika, reduce heat to low heat and sweat for 15-20 minutes.
- Once the onions have cooked, add the pumpkin puree and the burghul to the saucepan and mix well. Season with salt. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave it to sit for about 10 minutes. Add the beaten eggs, mix well and transfer to the fridge to cool for about 1 hour.
- In the mean time, place a frying pan on medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the chopped sage for about 1 minute or until it becomes crispy Pound the walnuts till you achieve a rough consistency. Transfer it to a mixing bowl, if necessary and then combine it with the feta and sage. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/4G and lightly grease a baking tray with oil. Remove the kebbeh mixture from the fridge. Pinch a small lump of the mixture and mold it in your hand to make a smooth ball.
- Use your finger to make an indentation in the mixture, moving in a gentle circular motion to hollow out the middle. Stuff the cavity with a generous teaspoon of the sage and feta stuffing, then pinch the edges together to seal. Place the torpedoes on the prepared baking tray as you go.
- Generously brush the torpedoes with olive oil and transfer them to the oven to bake for about 35 minutes or till lightly golden. Et voila!
I love the texture inside the pumpkin kebbeh. A real veggie bonanza!
Beth! Is that the Kebbeh from the gorgeous turquoise book I was looking through when I came over for dinner the other night? They look divine, and yes, that book is stunning, I’ve put it on my Amazon wishlist =)
Great alternative to the normal meat Kebbeh, I can only imagine how yum this tastes. Must try it out. Loving the photos too – lovely yellow bowl! xxx
Wow, looks amazing but I am not sure I could replicate the recipe here in umbria. Wish I was able to meet all you foodies at the upcoming connect but I may be in the US at the time.
I’ve never heard of a pumpkin kebbeh but it looks delicious. What a great recipe.
Mowie- Yup, that’s the one. So beautiful, I just wanna go hug it again. right now! 😉
Deborah- We wish we could meet you to. Perhaps the next one!
Helene- Oh-so-good!
Never had this before but it sure smells good from where I’m at the moment. And it’s near lunch time – your delicious dish makes me so hungry to take a bit off the screen.
oh yum! these truly are incredible looking- i really love the spices and it’s such a brilliant take on the classic! i have to put that book on my wish list. My husband will love you for that – yet another cookbook! lol!
I’m preparing this lovely dish today.. I’m thinking to make it in the oven pan (bilsuniyeh) hope it works ;-)..
I can’t wait to get started,
thanx Beth for the recipe
cheerz
this is something new to me..thanks for sharing
can’t find them here in Malaysia~~~
great recipe!!
Oh wow!
I have 2 books by the Maaloufs–I just bought a copy of ‘saha’ which chronicles their travels through Lebanon and Syria and it’s amazing. Will definitely pick up a copy of Turquoise–this recipe looks so good! Thanks for posting this, it’s great :O)
Don’t worry, I’m not tired of Kebbeh, but then again I’ve never had one before either! Looks delicious 🙂
I tried this recipe today, and I absolutely love it!
I hovered up my plate and my husband did too..
baking it in an oven pan was nice (& easy) thing to do as well..
thanx 🙂
Glad you enjoyed. And thanks for letting me know 🙂
I must say, this version looks fabulous! I can just taste it! I am surprised there is no flour in the shell, so I bet the pumpkin flavor really comes through!
Hi Beth, thank you for this recipe. My husband just loves it! He can’t forget about it even it has been years since I first made it for him courtesy of your DKS blog! Just a question though, if I make it bil saniyeh do I need to put it in the fridge after mixing the eggs? Thanks again
Hello, yes it’s good to leave it to rest in the fridge for 15 mn or so! Thank you, love hearing this!
Loved this recipe, so yummy, and different..
Hi Beth!
I know it’s been said a zillion times and now a zillion and one but I love your website.
Planning on making these this weekend; tempted to try also with a butternut squash puree…hmmm maybe, we’ll see.
Yasmin x
Thanks a lot Yasmin! That’s very kind of you and I greatly appreciate the feedback 🙂 x
This is really delicious. My sister made it for my friend’s baby shower and everyone loved it. so yummy.
Bethany, this is a typical lebanese recipe that i know we make for lent season ,it’s one of our favorite foods for lent and any time. Thank you