- 3 pounds squash, such as red kuri or butternut
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon Middle Eastern Five-Spice
- 1½ cups fine bulgur
- ½ pound feta cheese, preferably French sheep’s milk or
- goat’s milk, drained and roughly crumbled
- ½ teaspoon Middle Eastern Five Spice ¼ teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon aleppo chillies
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- To Make the Squash Kibbeh:
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and bake it, flesh-side down, on a lightly oiled heavy baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender. When the squash is cool, remove the flesh from the skin with a large spoon, and puree it in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 cups of the puree for the recipe.
- To make brown butter, bring the butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the butter for about 10 minutes, until it turns brown and smells like hazelnuts. The butter has just clarified-the solids have sunk to tbe bottom and tbe water has evaporated-and it can burn quickly (turning from brown to black), so you must watch it carefully after 6 minutes of simmering, As soon as you smell a toasted nut aroma, check the butter. Strain the clarified butter immediately through a fine sieve into a small bowl. Allow the butter to cool.
- In a large saucepan or soup pan over medium high heat, cook the onion and pepper in olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft.
- Stir in the paprika and 1 teaspoon of the five-spice and stir to coat the onion mixture.
- Stir in 2 cups of the squash puree and cook for about 5 minutes, until the squash is hot.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the bulgur. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. The mixture should be soft, like dough.
- Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the brown butter.
- To Make the Spiced Feta Filling:
- Place the crumbled feta in a mixing bowl and stir in ½ teaspoon five-spice, the sumac. aleppo chilies, and parsley. Stir for a few minutes to make the mixture as creamy as possible, although chunks of feta will remain.
- Season with salt and pepper (the feta may be salty enough, depending on the brand).
- To combine:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line up 8 jumbo espresso cups or any ½-cup ramekins. Fill each cup with ½ cup of kibbeh mixture. Then, using your forefinger, make a hole in the center of each cup so that you almost touch the bottom. The hole should be big enough to fit a few teaspoons of feta in the center. Some kibbeh will rise up over the cup, which is good, since you will use it to fold over the filling
- Using a teaspoon, fill each hole with 2 generous teaspoon of the feta mixture. 4. Seal the tops with the overlapping kibbeh. A few little holes may remain, but try to encapsulate the cheese filling as best you can.
- Seal the tops with the overlapping kibbeh. A few little holes may remain, but try to encapsulate the cheese filling as best you can.
- Place the cups on a heavy baking sheet and bake for about 14 minutes, until they are hot.
- Turn the kibbeh out of the cups and onto plates and serve with any leftover feta filling on the side. When you split the kibbeh open with a fork the center should be warm, soft, and creamy.