Method

Notes

The quantities suggested create about six serving portions.

Preparation

Skin the onions and chop fine, skin the garlic and crush.
Cut the mushrooms into chunks.
Chop any fresh herbs using a double handed knife. Slice the cherry tomatoes in two.
Slice the lemon for decorative use.

Cooking

Pre-heast the oven to Gas Mark 4.
Put the bulgur in a dish and just cover with hot water. Set aside.
Gently fry the onions and garlic in a little olive oil heat until just soft.
Add the cinnamon and ginger and continue to cook the onions until golden (further 5 minutes).
Spoon half of the cooked onions into the bulgur wheat and return the rest to the heat.
Add some more oil and the mushrooms. Mix well.
Cover and cook gently until the mushooms are tender and juicy (about 5 minutes).
Season with salt and pepper, and add the tomatoes and pumpkin seeds.
Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced to your liking but not fully dry.

In a shallow baking dish, make a layer of bulgur, then onion/mushrooms, then top with the rest of the bulgur. Decorate with a few more seeds and slices of lemon if used.
Bake in the oven at Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes or so until the kibbbe is golden and chirpy.

To serve

Serve Hot

Variations

This dish received great acclaim as described above.
Nigel Slater's version, from which this was developed, suggests the use of pine nuts rather than pumpkin seeds.

The addition of some crisp fried bacon pieces with the mushrooms adds a little saltiness and an extension of the textures.