A Kibbet Laqkeen Inspired Fall Dinner

Sometimes doomscrolling has a happy ending.

I was trying to decide what to make with the collard greens and pumpkin remaining from this week's veggie box, along with the tail end of a bag of cracked bulgur that had been lurking in my pantry for some time, and the half can of chickpeas left over from making Roasted Romanesco with Chickpeas and Dates.

As part of the ongoing “triage cuisine” operation that I have been spearheading in my pantry, fridge and freezer this fall, I was determined to use up what I already had rather than create a grocery list. I had been contemplating various ways of combining these odds and ends all day, none of which was particularly inspiring, when, as providence would have it, I randomly happened across an Instagram video for Kibbet Laqteen, a Lebanese dish of which I had never heard, but which sounded absolutely delicious, made with a pumpkin and bulgur “crust”, with a savory filling of greens, chickpeas, onions, and walnuts, spiced with sumac and cumin, and made tangy with pomegranate molasses. Right up my alley.

It was one of those rare and happy coincidences where a recipe seemed to have been designed specifically to deal with the contents of my refrigerator and pantry. I did some additional internet sleuthing and ended up with the recipe below. Please note that I was a bit preoccupied when I made the recipe and, having grabbed my package of grain and happily tipped it into the pumpkin bowl, I realized that I had used couscous by mistake. It worked, so keep that in mind should you need to, but bulgur would have probably tasted better. Also, so shaken by this was I, that I forgot to score the traditional diamond pattern on the top of my dish and to photograph the final dish. On the plus side, this was really delicious.

Traditionally, the filling for this dish is most often made with spinach or Swiss chard, but needs must, and I had collard greens. Mine were behemoths, with rather more backbone than your average spinach leaf, so I knew they would need a little extra attention before being tucked between the layers of pumpkin and bulgur.

This was excellent, easier that it sounds, and impressive enough for a dinner party main course.

Makes four generous portions.

2 cups mashed roasted pumpkin, skin removed

1/2 cup fine bulgur

4-5 large collard green leaves, approximately 2 tightly packed cups when finely chopped

1/2 can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp grated onion

2 Tbsps walnuts, finely chopped

3/4 tsp sumac

1 tsp pomegranate molasses

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Generous pinch of ground allspice

1 Tbsp flour, approximately, if needed

1 Tbsp + 2 tsps olive oil, plus a little more to grease the baking dish

Salt and black pepper to taste

Mash the roasted pumpkin with a fork until smooth. Rinse the bulgur and drain it well, then combine it with the pumpkin, grated onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, a little salt, and 1 tsp olive oil. Mix everything together thoroughly and set aside for fifteen to twenty minutes to give the bulgur time to absorb the moisture from the pumpkin.

Check the mixture. You want something soft enough to press into a baking dish but cohesive enough to hold together. If it seems too wet, add a little flour, a teaspoon at a time. If it seems too dry, add a teaspoon or two of water and leave it for another few minutes. Roasted pumpkin varies enormously in moisture content, so this is one of those occasions when the mixture will tell you what it needs rather than me laying down the (my) law.

While the bulgur is resting, prepare the collard greens. Remove the thick central ribs, stack the leaves, roll them up tightly, and slice them into very thin ribbons. Run your knife through the ribbons a few more times to chop them finely. You should end up with approximately two tightly packed cups.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for three to four minutes until softened.

Add the collard greens and 2 tablespoons water, stir well, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Cook for ten minutes before checking whether the greens are tender. If your leaves are young, they may already be nearly ready, but larger, more mature collard greens can take fifteen to twenty minutes, sometimes longer. Mine were enormous, so I would certainly not expect them to be done in the five minutes that spinach would require. Add another splash of water if the pan dries out before the greens are tender.

Once the collards are cooked to your liking, remove the lid and let any remaining liquid evaporate. Add the chickpeas, walnuts, sumac, and pomegranate molasses, along with a little salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two. Taste the filling. You want a good balance of earthy greens, sweet onion, and delicious tartness from the sumac and pomegranate molasses. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line an eight inch baking dish, small pie dish, or loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper.

Divide the pumpkin and bulgur mixture in half. Press one half into the bottom of the dish in an even layer, then spread the collard green filling over it.

Flatten the remaining pumpkin mixture between your hands or between two pieces of parchment paper and lay it over the filling. You may find it easier to do this in several pieces, as I did, gently pressing them together once they are in the dish. Smooth the surface with slightly damp fingers.

Using a sharp knife, score a shallow diamond pattern into the top, taking care not to cut all the way through to the filling. Drizzle the remaining 1 tsp olive oil over the surface.

Bake for approximately thirty to thirty-five minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is firm and beginning to crisp. Give it another five minutes if it needs a little more color.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for fifteen minutes before cutting into two portions. This will give the layers time to firm up and make it easier to lift the kibbet out of the dish without everything collapsing into a still delicious, but not especially photogenic or representative, heap.

Inspiration recipe, here.