This is pure comfort food, of the absolutely easiest kind. Today we’re making a Middle Eastern beef dish called hushwee that’s full of warming spices like cinnamon and allspice, savory onions, and golden toasted pine nuts.
What is Lebanese hushwee?
Hushwee (also spelled hashweh) is considered “peasant food”, and is a staple in the culture. This Lebanese beef recipe is ready in just a few minutes, and features baking spices, the aforementioned toasted pine nuts, and sometimes dried fruits like raisins.
It’s the basis for many other Lebanese dishes, making an easy stuffing for dishes like kibbeh or meat pies (sfiha)…I believe the word hashweh is actually Arabic for “stuffing”, but someone keep me honest on that. It is also frequently made with lamb instead of beef.
(Just to be clear, I am not Lebanese, so this info is from my own research vs. from my own cultural knowledge.)
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This very simple hushwee recipe exactly filled the comfort food craving I was having the other night, especially when paired with a fragrant, fluffy turmeric rice. It would be great on a tahini sauce or piled on my fave homemade hummus, or on a salad as well (if you roll that way).
It also makes awesome leftovers, so you could consider making a double batch for lunches later.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Put the pine nuts on a small cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until they are at a light brown in color.
Keep a careful eye on them as they can burn quickly! Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a deep pan or cast iron skillet, melt the ghee over medium-high heat, then add the minced onion. You can usually find ghee or clarified butter in most grocery stores, health stores, Trader Joe’s, or online.
Sauté the onions until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break the meat into small pieces.
You can add the spices at the same time you add the beef, but I tend to prefer to add them when the beef is almost cooked through.
Once cooked, taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper needed, to taste. Then stir in the toasted pine nuts.
Garnish with parsley once you serve it. How you serve it is up to you, though it’s great on some delicious turmeric rice, and with a drizzle of tahini sauce.
It takes all my willpower not to eat this straight out of the pan, and this is such an easy (and pretty healthy) comfort food staple whenever I get a craving!
Other hearty, comforting, yet healthy recipes you’ll love:
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
- Amazing & Easy Chicken Shawarma
- Apricot Balsamic Rosemary Chicken
- Chicken Massaman Curry
- Carrot, Parsnip, & Goat Cheese Mash Shepherd’s Pie
Original recipe from The Lemon Bowl
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Lebanese Hushwee (Fragrant, Spiced Ground Beef with Toasted Pine Nuts)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of clarified butter (also known as ghee)
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 to 1.5 lbs of ground beef (lamb or bison work well too)
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of kosher sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of allspice
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
- Fresh minced parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Put the pine nuts on a small cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until they are at a light brown in color. Keep a careful eye on them as they can burn quickly! Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a deep pan or cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat, then add the minced onion. Sauté until translucent, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break the meat into small pieces. You can add the spices at the same time, but I tend to prefer to add them when the beef is almost cooked through.
- Once cooked, taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper needed, to taste. Stir in the toasted pine nuts and garnish with parsley.
Notes
You can usually find ghee or clarified butter in most grocery stores, health stores, Trader Joe's, or online.
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