1 lb. fine burghul (cracked wheat)          350 degree oven
boiling water                               45-60 minutes
cold water
1 lb. lean ground beef or lamb
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 lb. lean ground beef or lamb
2 c. finely chopped onions
1 tsp. cumin
salt & pepper
3/4 c. pignoli
olive oil

buttered 13" x 9" Pyrex baking dish
2 tbps. softened butter
a few dozen pignoli
yogurt

Soak in burghul in boiling water until soft but not soggy. Add cold water to mixture to cool down the burghul so that you can handle it. Drain as much water as possible. Squeeze as much water out as you can by squeezing handfuls between both hands. Put sqeezed mixture in large bowl. Make sure you take out as much as of the water as possible, otherwise kibbe will not bake properly. Add 1 lb ground meat, 1 tbsp. cumin, 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper and mix together thoroughly. Set aside.

Prepare stuffing: Brown remaining 1 lb. ground meat, add onions and brown some more, add 1 tsp. cumin; salt and pepper to taste. Cook until most juice has boiled off but mixture is relatively moist. Brown 3/4 cup of pignoli in olive oil; add to meat mixture. Set aside.

Butter 13" x 9" Pyrex baking dish thoroughly. Using both palms flatten some of burgul mixture to layer about 1/2 inch high. Place in pyrex dish, flatten some more until entire bottom is covered more or less evenly. This should use half of mixture. Spread meat & onion mixture. Top with remaining layer of burghul mixture. Take 2 tsbp. of softened butter and spread evenly over the top. Cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Place one pignola in middle of each diamond.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes (until brown and golden). Cool for 15 minutes. Seve with Yogurt.