How to make
Prepare the stuffing by finely chopping the onion and grinding or chopping the walnuts into fine crumbs, but not too fine. If you grind them, be careful not to make them mushy, it is best done with a knife, but it takes more time.
Fry the onion in 5 tbsp. of oil and a pinch of salt, until it has softened. Add the minced meat flavored with cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt. Stir, until it becomes crumbly and add the tomato puree and 1 tbsp. of water and leave it to cook for another 3-4 minutes on moderate heat. Finally, add the walnuts and stir for another minute or two. Leave the stuffing to cool.
Prepare the outer layer for the Turkish meatballs by pouring two cups of hot water over the bulgur, cover it with a lid and leave it to absorb the water and soften. If your bulgur is coarse, you need to grind it.
In a bowl, mix the minced meat with the onion (grated) and the spices plus the salt. Beat the egg and pour semolina, tomato puree, flour and softened bulgur. Mix well, until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. It should not be too thick, nor too thin, so that it is easy to shape the meatballs afterwards.
Take as much of the mixture for the outer layer as you can fit in the palm of your hand, flatten it and place a spoonful of the stuffing, then wrap the edges and pinch them, by first making an oval shape, then pulling the edges slightly to make a lemon shape.
Work with wet hands, so that it does not stick to you, it is most convenient to place a bowl of water nearby, in which you can dip after each subsequent meatball. You will get about 20 pieces.
Fry them in a generous amount of oil heated over moderate heat, until a golden brown color is obtained.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them onto kitchen paper to absorb excess fat.
Serve the delicious meatballs with tomato slices, tomato salad or salsa.
Enjoy your meal!
The original name of the Turkish stuffed meatballs is Içli Köfte.
