Recipe - Meatballs Filled With Spices And Nuts [Icli Kofte]

500 Gr fine bulgur
250 Gr Fatty ground meat
250 Gr minced mutton (not
Fatty)
3/16 tablespoon Red pepper
3/16 tablespoon Cumin
1 bn Parsley
2 tablespoon Margarine
2 Onions
500 Gr pine nuts
50 Gr currants
100 Gr walnuts (pounded)
Salt
Black pepper

Melt the margarine in a saucepan, add the pine nuts and saute till light
golden. Add and saute the minced onions gently as well. Put the minced meat
and currants into a saucepan and continue sauteeing till golden brown.
Remove from heat and add the chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, pounded
walnuts and blend. Allow to stand for a while. In the meantime, put bulgur
on a large tray, add the red pepper, cumin, salt and 1 glass of cold water
and knead for half an hour to blend well. Sprinkle water while kneading if
the bulgur becomes sticky. When the bulgur becomes a light paste, add the
twice minced mutton and continue kneading for another 15 minutes. When the
mixture starts to feel like a paste, take small pieces of it and form
egglike balls. Then, by turning the index finger rapidly inside the bulgur
balls, make fine holes in them. Fill the holes with saute which was set
aside and squeeze the cover the holes. 30 minutes before serving, put balls
in saucepan containing 67 glasses of boiling water and some salt, and
allow to boil for 1520 minutes. Strain balls with perforated spoon, and
place on serving dish. P.S.: Although many restaurants and stores prefer to
offer fried meatballs, the traditional cooking method is boiling.

korpe@cs.umd.edu http://www.cs.umd.edu/users/kandogan/FTA/TurkishCuisine/