Quipes – Beef and Bulgur Meatballs

Name: Quipes – Beef and Bulgur Meatballs
Prep time: 15M
Total time: 85M
Yield: 22 Quipes
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 1 cup Fine Bulgur Wheat; 1½ cups Quipes – Beef and Bulgur Meatballsfresh mint leaves, finely chopped; 1½ tbsp. Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning with Pepper; ¾ lb. Quipes – Beef and Bulgur Meatballslean ground beef, divided; 1 can Low Sodium Tomato Sauce; ⅓ cup Salad Olives; Vegetable Oil

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For a savory taste of Dominican picadera (party food), try these fried beef and bulgur meatballs called quipes or kipes. These crunchy, bite-sized appetizers were brought into the Dominican Republic in the late 1800s by Lebanese immigrants who commonly prepared a similar appetizer called kibbeh. These flavorful snacks are made by combining GOYA® <a title="Fine Bulgur Wheat" href="https://goya.com/en/products/flours/corn-and-wheat-flour#fine-bulgur-wheat" data-id="7957">Fine Bulgur Wheat</a> with fresh mint and ground beef to form a dough that encloses a savory beef filling. Fry until golden and crisp for a delicious taste of the Dominican Republic!

Total Time

85m

Prep Time:15m

Yields:22 Quipes

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Ingredients

1 cup

GOYA® Fine Bulgur Wheat

1½ cups

fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1½ tbsp.

GOYA® Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning with Pepper , divided

¾ lb.

lean ground beef, divided

1 can
(8 oz.)

GOYA® Low Sodium Tomato Sauce

⅓ cup

GOYA® Salad Olives , chopped

GOYA® Vegetable Oil , for frying

Directions

Kitchen View

Make Bulgur Dough:

Step 1

In medium bowl, combine bulgur and 3 cups water; cover and let stand on counter at least 3 hours or overnight. Drain bulgur; transfer to large bowl. Add mint and 1 tsp. Adobo to bowl with bulgur; stir to combine. Add half of raw beef to bowl with bulgur mixture; using hands, mix until well combined; cover and chill in refrigerator.

Make Beef Filling:

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat medium, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add remaining beef; cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Drain and discard fat, if needed. Stir in tomato sauce and remaining ½ teaspoon Adobo; bring to simmer and cook until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in olives; remove from heat.

Form Quipes:

Step 3

Using heaping tablespoon measures, scoop bulgur into palm of hands, squeezing to compact. Using back of spoon, press down on bulgur mixture to make oval shape that measures about 3”x2”. Add 2 teaspoons beef filling to center of oval. Enclose bulgur mixture around filling, forming into football shape. Take care to enclose filling completely to prevent splattering when frying. Transfer quipe to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bulgur and beef mixture to form 22 quipes. Chill in refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Step 4

Heat 1½” oil in deep, heavy-bottomed pot until hot but not smoking (350°F). Fry quipes in batches, taking care not to crowd pot, until golden brown and heated through, about 3 minutes per batch; transfer to paper towel-lined tray to drain. Serve warm.