For the salad: put the vinegar with 60ml water in a large wide sauté or saucepan over a high heat with the sugar, chillies and a big pinch of salt. Cover and bring to the boil. Drop in the cabbage, replace the lid and bring it back to the boil. As soon as you see bubbles, whip the lid off and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally until there is just a tiny bit of liquid left. Tip the cabbage and onion, with the pickling liquor, on a small tray or large plate to cool down. Toss the cabbage and its pickling liquor with the red onion, cucumber, radishes, sesame seeds, mint and parsley, then taste for seasoning, finishing it with salt and a squeeze of lemon.
For the kibbeh stuffing: in a wide frying pan fry the onion in a splash of light olive oil until soft. Stir in the pine nuts and 250g of mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, then, as it browns, season with salt, pepper and the cinnamon. When the meat has browned all over, spread it on a plate to cool down completely.
For the kibbeh shells: tip the bulgar wheat into a bowl and pour on cold water until it sits about 1 cm above the grains. Soak for about 10 minutes until it is all absorbed. In a food processor, blitz the 350g of mince, the onion, cumin and bulgar wheat with some salt and pepper for less than a minute until smooth. Scrape into the bowl.
To make the kibbeh, get a bowl of water and wet your hands. Take a bit more than a golf ball-sized chunk of shell mix and roll it into a firm ball. Make a hole in the centre with your finger and work it into an elongated cavity. Fill this with the stuffing and, keeping your hands moist, pinch closed and into a rough lemon shape. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Heat the peanut or vegetable oil in a heavy-based large frying pan or deep fat fryer and check it's up to temperature by dropping a bit of mix in and checking it fizzles to the surface. Deep-fry in batches of 4-6, depending on the size of your pan, for about 5-8 minutes each or until deep golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
For the tahini and olive sauce: mash the garlic with a small pinch of salt. Stir the garlic, lemon and tahini together then stir in about 100ml warm water to loosen. Whisk the olive oil in slowly and season generously with salt. Don’t worry if the mixture is a bit thin as it will thicken as it sits. Stir in the olives and sprinkle with parsley. Set aside.
For the flatbreads: combine the flour, yeast, sugar and the 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl, then pour and mix in about 250-300ml warm water, enough to bring it all together to make a soft dough. Knead for several minutes until smooth and elastic, then divide into 6 balls. Leave them on a floured surface covered with a damp cloth to rise for about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9 and put a baking tray in the oven to get hot. Roll the risen flatbread balls out into circles on a lightly floured surface until they are about 3-5mm thick. Mix together the za’atar ingredients. Dimple the breads all over with your fingers, spoon on the za’atar, spreading it out with the back of a spoon. Lay the dough circles on the hot tray then bake for 4-5 minutes until crisp and golden.
To serve, finish off the kibbeh by spooning some of the tahini and olive sauce over the top and serving the rest in a little dish with a pool of extra virgin olive oil poured over. Serve the kibbeh with the flatbreads, cabbage salad and the tahini and olive sauce.
