Quipes (Dominican Kibbeh)

• Prep45 min
• Cook40 min
• Total2 h 25 min
• Serves10

Ingredients

For the shell

• 300 g fine bulgur wheat, #1 (1 3/4 cups)
• 60 g yellow onion, in pieces (1/2 small)
• 5 g fresh mint leaves (1/4 cup loosely packed)
• 150 g lean ground beef (1/3 lb)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For the filling

• 100 g yellow onion, in pieces (1/2 medium)
• 50 g green bell pepper, in pieces (1/3 pepper)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 15 g vegetable oil (1 tbsp)
• 300 g lean ground beef (2/3 lb)
• 15 g tomato paste (1 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 30 g raisins (3 tbsp), optional

To fry and serve

• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 L / 1 qt)
• 120 g mayonnaise (1/2 cup)
• 60 g ketchup (1/4 cup)
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Place the bulgur in a large bowl, cover it with 3 cm (1 in) of hot tap water and let it soak for 1 hour. Drain it in a fine sieve and squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling: place the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the mixing bowl, chop 5 sec/speed 5 and scrape down the sides. Add the oil and sauté 4 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
3. Add the ground beef in small pieces, the tomato paste, oregano, salt, pepper and raisins (if using). Place the simmering basket on the mixing bowl lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 12 min/120°C (250°F)/reverse/speed 1, until the beef is cooked, crumbly and dry. Spread it on a plate to cool and rinse the mixing bowl.
4. For the shell, place the onion and mint in the mixing bowl, chop 5 sec/speed 7 and scrape down. Add the drained bulgur, ground beef, salt and pepper and blend 20 sec/speed 6. Scrape down and knead 1 min/dough mode, until the mixture forms a paste that holds together when you squeeze it.
5. With wet hands, roll 40 g (about 2 1/2 tbsp) of the shell mixture into a ball and press your thumb into the center to make a deep cup with thin, even walls.
6. Fill it with about 1 tbsp (20 g) of the filling, close the shell over it and roll it between your palms into an oval with pointed ends, like a small football. Repeat with the rest, keeping your hands wet, and refrigerate the quipes for 15 minutes.
7. Heat 5 cm (2 in) of oil in a deep pot on the stove to 175°C (350°F). Fry the quipes in batches of 4 or 5 for 5 to 6 minutes, turning them, until deep brown and crunchy all over, and drain them on paper towels.
8. Stir the mayonnaise and ketchup together in a small bowl with a squeeze of lime. For game day, pipe football laces on the quipes with a little mayonnaise, like in the photo.
9. Serve the quipes hot with the lime wedges and the mayo-ketchup.

Tips

• Keep a bowl of water nearby while you shape. Wet hands keep the paste from sticking and seal any cracks, and a sealed shell does not open in the oil.
• Look for fine bulgur (#1) in the international aisle or at Middle Eastern markets. Coarse bulgur does not hold together as well.
• Freeze uncooked quipes on a tray, then in a freezer bag, up to 3 months. Fry them from frozen at 175°C (350°F) for 7 to 8 minutes.
• The shell has raw beef in it, so fry the quipes until they are deep brown all over, not just golden.