Turkish Harpoot Kufta: A specialty meatball (or 'kufta') from the area of Harpoot

With a meat and bulgur Shell enrobing a zesty filling, these "stuffed" meatballs are delicious with yogurt.

These delightful golf ball-sized meatballs, filled with lamb, onions, peppers and spices are lovely to serve – and eat, of course. It does take a bit of practice and acquired skill to successfully make a thin keyma shell than seals well and does not break in cooking…and, in this case, the thinner the shell, the more "successful" the chef!

Ingredients:

For the Keyma (or shell):

• 1 Pound of Lean Ground Lamb
• 1 Cup of very finely ground Bulgur
• 1 Small Onion, minced very small
• 1 Tablespoon of finely minced parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For Filling:

• 1 Pound Ground Lamb
• 10 large onions, diced
• 1 medium Green Pepper, diced
• ¼ Cup finely diced parsley
• 1 teaspoon of dried mint, crushed fine
• 1 teaspoon of sweet basil
• 1/2 teaspoon EACH of cinnamon, allspice
• PINCH EACH of clove and nutmeg (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons Chaimen
• ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, pine nuts, or hazelnuts

Method: 

For the Keyma:

1. Mix the raw ingredients well and knead into a pliable dough, adding tiny bits of water, as need be, if the mixture is too dry to be pasty. Knead about 20 minutes until the dough is very maleable.
2. Dip hand in cold water, break off walnut-sized pieces of the dough and roll into balls.
3. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.

For Filling:

1. Fry the meat on a medium heat, adding in the onions and green pepper.
2. As it cooks down, add the parsley, mint nuts and chaimen.
3. Thoroughly cook down and then drain to remove excess fat.

(Filling may be prepared a day ahead and kept in a covered container in the refrigerator). To Assemble:

1. Take each ball of Keyma (in turn) and make a small dent in the center with your thumb.
2. Placing each ball in your palm, work the dent into a cavity to accept the meat filling – the smoother and thinner your keyma is, the better the resulting product. (Alternatively, you can also flatten the ball of keyma between your palms, until it ressembles a tortilla shell. Then, place the meat in the middle and fold and smooth well into a ball, with the filling enclosed within. This is not the traditional method, but it IS easier and it does work!)
3. Put about a spoonful of meat filling into each keyma and seal over, smoothing the opening with wet fingers.
4. Bring the meat stock to a low boil in the stove and gently drop in the kuftas, a few at a time.
5. Cook each one for about 8 – 10 minutes. (Kuftas should come up to the surface of the pot, when they are done).
6. Carefully remove each kufta with a slotted spoon or small strainer, so as not to damage the kuftas.

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To Serve:

Place the cooked kuftas in a shallow, greased baking pan and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes (just to crisp up the keyma crust). Then serve with a sauce made by combining plain yogurt with more crushed, dried mint to taste.Place a few kuftas in a bowl of yogurt soup, as an elegant alternative to the usual solid kuftas.