Kibbeh Footballs

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Super Bowl food, but let's make it better for you!

Living in Texas, football is less of a pastime and more of a religion. So the Super Bowl is like a second Christmas in Camilla’s house!

When hosting a Super Bowl viewing party, you don’t always have to serve chicken wings and pizza. So today, we are sharing with you this recipe for a healthier snack option, Kibbeh Footballs.

football

These lean and protein-packed snacks are festive, fun and a hearty and healthy way to enjoy snacking.

Kibbeh Footballs

Ingredients

2 lb. good-quality, lean ground beef or lamb
2 tbsp. neutral vegetable oil (divided)
2 cups bulgur wheat (trigo para quibe), dry
2 large eggs beaten
2 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced (divided)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. mayonnaise

Instructions

Pour the bulgur wheat into a large mixing bowl. Next, pour 2 cups of room-temperature water over it. Let it stand for approximately 45 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (divided) in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the 1-1/2 pounds of ground meat, half of the chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, breaking apart the meat, until the meat loses all traces of pinkness and the mixture's moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat, and stir in half of the parsley. Reserve.
In the mixing bowl containing the bulgur wheat, add the remaining half pound of ground meat and the beaten eggs. Stir in the remaining parsley, chopped garlic, mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix with your hands until you have a mass. The mixture should be very homogeneous, so be sure to mix it very well.
Remove approximately 3 tablespoons of the meat-bulgur mix from the mixing bowl. Roll into a ball shape in your hands. Cup the ball in the palm of one hand, and with the other hand, form a pocket in it. Fill the pocket with the cooked ground meat, then close the pocket over the mixture. Reform into a football shape in your hand. Place the completed kibbeh on a cookie sheet, and continue this process until you have used all the mixture. Reserve. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep-frying pan until it is hot but not smoking. Fry the kibbehs a few at a time until they are dark brown and crisp on the outside, being careful not to overcrowd when frying. Remove to a cookie sheet lined with a paper towel, and drain excess oil. Continue until all the kibbehs have been fried.
Using a plastic bag, add about two tablespoons of mayonnaise. Cut a very small corner off the bag, approximately one-eighth of an inch. Gently squeeze the bag piping mayonnaise onto the kibbehs, making the “football laces.”
Serve immediately, with lemon wedges and tzatziki sauce or hot sauce!