Recipe ingredients and directions:
Ingredients for outside layer:
1� lbs. ground leg of lamb not too lean, ground twice
2 cups fine bulghour (cracked wheat)
1 egg sized onion, minced
1 tbsp. crushed, dry parsley flakes
� tsp. blk. pepper
� tsp. red pepper
1 tbsp. salt
Filling:
1 lb. lamb patties or ground lamb (shoulder preferred)
2 cups onions, finely chopped
� cup fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
pinch of blk. pepper
pinch of red pepper
Saute meat for filling in frying pan until all moisture is evaporated. As meat starts to brown
in its own fat, add onions and cook until softened and slightly golden colored. Add parsley,
basil, salt and pepper. Stir and re move from heat and let cool at least one hour in a cool
place.
Outside layer:
Mix onion, parsley, peppers and salt together and crush with fingers. Add this mixture to ground
lamb and cracked wheat and mix thoroughly. Start adding a little water at a time (approx. 1 cup
will be used) and knead mixture about 5 or 10 minutes until it becomes soft and sticks
together well. Make balls the size of a medium egg (about 25).
Working with one kufta at a time, make an indentation in center of each ball with index finger
and keep pressing round and round to make a round opening with a thin wall. Place a
heaping teaspoon of filling inside each opening and gently close opening, sealing well,
smoothing surface and moistening fingers with water as you work.
After all kuftas are completed, boil 2 quarts water or lamb broth with 1 tsp. salt in a 4 quart
saucepan. Drop kuftas into boiling liquid 12-13 at a time. When liquid starts to boil again,
cook for 10 minutes. The kuftas will rise to the top when they are done. If needed, add
more liquid for second batch.
Serves 5-6
Category: Armenian Recipes