Recipe: Blue Apron’s Turkey Kibbeh with Cucumber Salad.

If you are a regular reader in these parts, then you know two things: One: At 33 years old, I consider myself a beginner at cooking and two, I am doing everything in my power to change that! I’ve spent years being “too busy” to cook, racing from work to drinks to events to this thing and the next, and just hadn’t made cooking at home much of a priority. It’s definitely a New York thing, especially as groceries here are oftentimes more expensive than takeout!

Since transitioning down to a more flexible work schedule, one of the first things I did was start cooking more. It’s healthier, it saves money, and it’s become something that I really enjoy. Alas, I frequently find myself getting stuck in the trap of making the same thing (hiii, Gwyneth’s meatballs!) over and over and over again.

Enter Blue Apron. They reached out to me a few weeks ago, offering to let me try out their services. If you’re not familiar with them (I wasn’t!) they allow you to create delicious chef-designed recipes at home by delivering farm-fresh ingredients to your doorstop in exactly the right proportions.

I signed up, selected a delivery date, and shortly after signing up, a refrigerated box arrived with the ingredients for three home cooked meals. I had so much fun cooking each one (I made a lemon ricotta pasta with pea tips; flat iron steaks with ramps + fingerling potatoes, and the turkey kibbeh that I’m about to teach you how to make.) As a New Yorker (and someone who is usually cooking for just one or two people), I loved how everything came perfectly portioned out, so there would be no waste. (How many times do you buy all of the ingredients for a recipe, only to have the extras go bad?) It also felt like a mini cooking class in a box. I learned how to make several new things (like the yogurt sauce in this recipe) and picked up a few new techniques!

So we’ll dive into today’s recipe — but first: if you sign up here here you can get $60 off your first 3 boxes. Also, they have a zillion more recipes which can be found here… bookmark this page. I did — crispy fish tacos are next on my list!

To make the Turkey Kibbeh + Cucumber Salad, you will need the following (this recipe serves two!)

• 8 Ounces Ground Turkey
• 1/2 Cup Bulgar
• 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 English Cucumber
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Yellow Onion
• 1 Large Bunch Mint
• 1 Large Bunch Parsley
• 2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
• 1 Ounce Dried Apricots
• 1 Tablespoon Turkey Kibbeh Spice Blend (Blue Apron prepped this for us, but it includes Za’atar & Aleppo Pepper.)
• Olive Oil

 *Makes 2 Servings, at about 660 Calories Per Serving – takes 25-35 minutes. 

Begin by cooking the bulgar. In a small pot, bring 3/4 cup water + a big pinch of salt to a boil. Rinse the bulgar with warm water and once the water is boiling, add it in. Cover the pot + remove from heat. Let it stand for about 20 minutes, or until the bulgar has absorbed all of the liquid  and become tender.

And then the prep work begins. I should note that Blue Apron does not send the ingredients prepped, which is something I like because the produce stays fresh. It’s a little more work, but so worth it.

Start by cutting the English cucumber in half lengthwise, and scooping out the seeds from the middle with a spoon. Discard the seeds (I ate them) and thinly slice the cucumber. Set aside.

Remove the mint + parsley from the stems; finely slice the parsley. Dice the apricots.

Peel and dice the onion. Use a microplane or zester to get two teaspoons of lemon zest from the lemon and then quarter + deseed your lemon.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat two teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion, lemon zest, and spice blend. Season with salt and pepper and cook (stirring occsionaolly for 2-3 minutes until the onion is soft.

Add in the apricots, pine nuts, nad parsley. Cook, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and wipe out the pan.

In the bowl, add the ground turkey + cooked bulgar. Add a bit of salt and pepper to season.

Mix to thoroughly combine. Use your hands to form the mixture into small patties, each about 1/2-inch thick. I made 16 patties using the ingredients.

Next, cook the patties! In the same pan, heat a thin layer of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the patties and cook 3-5 mminutes per side, or until browned + cooked through. Remove from heat; season with salt & pepper.

While the patties are cooking, you can make the cucumber salad. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, the mint (finely chop it up right before adding it, the juice of all 4 lemons, and a little drizzle of olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine the cucumber + 1/4 of the yogurt sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the cooked patties between two dishes, top with the dressed cucumber. Garnish with parsley; serve with the rest of the yogurt sauce. Enjoy!

Thank you to Blue Apron for partnering on this post.