Meatballs "à la Polita"

A different version of the classic Greek meatballs which are a great meze to share or even a main meal if served along with a salad and fried potatoes. Only the bulgur  is enough to make the difference for these fluffy meatballs which  are full of taste and aromas!

Recipe of Evi Voutsina,

"Gastronomos" magazine of "KATHIMERINI" newspaper (2009)

Ingredients (for 6 people):
600gr. of ground beef (twice minced in the meat mincer)
1 tea-cup of fine bulgur
2 eggs, beaten
1 large onion, grated
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt
pepper
1 bunch of fresh spearmint (only the leaves), finely chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
all-purpose flour for dusting
frying oil

Method:
Put the bulgur in a spacious bowl and pour over with 1½ tea-cup of boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon and leave aside covered to absorb the liquid, to soften up and to cool down.

When ready, transfer the bulgur in a large bowl and add the mince, the eggs, the onion, the garlic, the spearmint, the oil and season with salt and pepper. Knead the ingredients thoroughly with your hands to blend well. If the mixture feels a bit firm then dip your hands into some water and continue kneading until it fluffs up. In this recipe it is not necessary to leave the mixture in the fridge to firm up as you do in other cases.

Take small amounts of the mixture, shape into medium balls and gently press a bit to flatten them. Lightly pass through the flour and then fry in hot oil until they are nicely golden on both sides and cooked through.

Transfer with a slotted spoon on kitchen paper to drain and serve while they are still hot.