Kibbeh with Swiss Chard (Kibbeh Bil-Salq)

Ingredients

• Fresh green chard leaves
• Olive oil
• A pinch of red pepper
• Salt
• Half a kilogram of fine bulgur
• Three-quarters cup flour
• 3 dried onions
• Red pepper paste
• Juice of a lemon
• 3 garlic cloves

Method

1. Wash the Swiss chard leaves well, put them in hot water and blanch them. After blanching, place the leaves in a colander to drain and chop them finely.
2. Sauté the chard in a little olive oil with a finely chopped onion. Add salt and a pinch of pepper and leave it over low heat for about 10 minutes.
   Timers: 10 min
3. Start preparing the dough: wash the fine bulgur and let it soak in water for about 5 minutes... grind the washed, soaked bulgur in a food processor until very fine; you can also knead it by hand until it is very smooth.
   Timers: 5 min
4. Add the finely chopped onion to the bulgur and grind it in the blender, then gradually add the flour with a little water. Add water as needed until you have a cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for a while and prepare the sauce in the meantime.
5. To prepare the sauce, mix the red pepper paste (dibs al-filfil) with garlic, lemon, and olive oil.
6. Shape the dough into balls, stuff each with a little chard, close them and form them like regular kibbeh using the same shaping method.
7. Place a deep pot on the stove with a little salted water and boil the stuffed chard kibbeh balls for a few minutes.
8. Lift them out of the water and drain them well. Arrange the kibbeh on a serving plate and pour the sauce you prepared over them.