home | about | catering | classes | press | directions | Facebook | contact Articles and reviews on Yasin Culinary and Kareem: The Joy of Cooking. Boston Globe Magazine, July 2010 KIBBEH The Boston Globe January 29, 1998 Owner and chef Ahmad Yasin of Kareem's makes kibbeh daily from a recipe he got from his Syrian mother. This traditional Middle Eastern entree is called kufta by Armenians, kittel by Assyrians, koupas by Cypriots, kibbe by Israelis, kubba by Palestinians, iche kofte by Turks and kibbeh by Syrians and Lebanese. Classic kibbeh, according to the noted food writer Paula Wolfert, is a "3-inch-long football-shaped brown food, with a crisp or tender outer shell made of ground lamb kneaded with moistened bulgur and a juicy interior or stuffing of cooked meat, spices and nuts." Most restaurants, however, including Kareem's, cook kibbeh in a sheet pan, like lasagna, which is then cut into either triangular or square pieces. Other kibbehs we tried were not as fresh as Kareem's. Kibbeh that sits around becomes at once dry and greasy, a bad combination; and unlike lasagna, kibbeh does not taste better as it sits. Ahmad makes a vegetarian kibbeh with bulgur wheat, pine nuts, onions, red pepper, and spices, and a more traditional kibbeh with ground lamb, bulgur wheat, pine nuts, onions, and parsley. Both are served with pita bread, plain yogurt, and a salad dressed with zaatar, a spice mixture of sumac, dried thyme, marjoram, salt, and sesame seeds. The kibbeh at Kareem's ($9.95 for sit-down or takeout) never disappoints: it is juicy, moist, lean, tender, and wonderfully flavorful. And it's not something that you can easily duplicate at home so however long the trip, it's worth it.
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