Boreks Turkish Pastries Recipes

BOREK

Steps:

• Cook onion and garlic: Heat oil on high in a large skillet. Cook onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until softened.
• Cook lamb and spices: Add lamb and cook lamb, breaking it up as you go, until mostly changes from pink to brown. Then add all the spices and cook for 1 minute.
• Simmer: Add tomato passata and water, mix. Then add currants and pine nuts. Bring to simmer, turn heat down to medium low and cook until liquid reduces so the mixture is moist but not watery.
• Cool: Remove from stove and allow to fully cool before using.
• Mix ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
• Yogurt Wash (Note 4): Mix ingredients until combined.
• Prepare filo: Open the filo pastry packet and unroll the pastry. Peel one layer off and place on a piece of baking / parchment paper. Cover the remainder with a lightweight damp tea towel to stop them from drying out.
• Brush with yogurt wash: Drizzle / flick yogurt wash across filo using a pastry brush. Then lightly brush across surface in a thin layer. You don't need to cover every inch, just mostly cover the surface.
• Layer filo: Top with another filo pastry sheet, and brush this too with yogurt wash. Then repeat so you have 4 layers in total, but do not brush the last (4th) filo with yogurt wash once laid.
• Fill and roll: Place 1/3 of the Lamb filling along the bottom edge. Using the aid of a long kitchen knife to get it started, roll up into a log. Doesn't need to be tight and don't try, as the pastry is delicate.
• Make 3 logs: Repeat to make 3 logs, using all the Filling.
• Spiral: Take one log and place on a piece of baking / parchment paper. Coil into a spiral. Join a second log to the first by stuffing the ends inside each other, using yogurt wash to adhere. Continue forming the spiral. Log sides should be in contact but not tightly squished.
• Transfer to baking vessel: Brush a 26cm / 10.5″ cast iron skillet (Note 5) with melted butter. Then use the paper to transfer the borek into the skillet, and slide the paper out.
• Brush with butter: Brush the top with butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until pastry is golden.
• Serve! Remove from oven. Cut wedges like pie. Serve with Lemon Yogurt Sauce!

TURKISH BOREK RECIPE (SIGARA BOREK)

Steps:

• First, know that yufka, like phyllo dough, is delicate and might break. That's completely okay.
• To make the spinach filling: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion until golden, add spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, mix it with cheese, salt and pepper.
• To make potato filling: Wash and peel the potato. Cut it into large chunks and boil until fork tender. Mash the potato completely and add Aleppo pepper, salt and black pepper.
• To make the cheese filling: Mix cheese with parsley, salt and pepper.
• Place a triangle shaped yufka dough on a clean surface, with the wide side facing you. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges. This will help the edges to stick while rolling.
• Add one to two tablespoon of filling one inch away from the wide edge and form it into a thin log.
• Fold the outer corners over the filling and roll the borek. Dip your index finger in water and wet the edges again and roll tightly. Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non stick pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the boreks in the oil and fry on all sides until crispy and golden. Don't over crowd the pan. Place the boreks on a kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
• Continue with the remaining boreks and add more oil if needed.

BOREKS (TURKISH APPETIZERS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, blend the feta and mozzarella cheese with the beaten eggs. Add the chopped herbs, season with pepper and nutmeg and stir well to mix.
• Cut the sheets of pastry into four rectangular strips approximately 3 inches wide. Cover all but one or two strips with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
• Brush on strip of pastry at a time with a little melted butter. Place 1 teaspoon filling at the bottom edge. Fold one corner over the filling to make a triangle shape. Continue folding the pastry over itself until you get to the end of the strip. Keep making triangles until all the mixture is used up.
• Place the boreks on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

BOREKS (TURKISH PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Crumble the feta cheese, then mix feta with the chives (or dill), parsley, and pepper.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Skim off any foam that accumulates.
• Cut the phyllo pastry sheets into 3-inch strips. Take one strip and cover the rest with a clean, damp cloth.
• Brush the first phyllo strip with melted butter, and place a teaspoon of feta/herb mixture on the bottom right corner of the phyllo sheet, about 1/4-inch from the edge.
• Pick up the bottom right corner of the phyllo sheet and fold it up and over the feta/herb mixture so the corner reaches the top edge of the phyllo sheet and forms a triangle. Keep folding the pastry over itself, being careful that the filling remains intact, until you reach the end of the phyllo sheet and have a triangle shaped pastry.
• Repeat steps #5 and #6, using remaining phyllo sheets and feta/herb mixture.
• Lay pastries on a baking sheet, and brush with remaining melted butter. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

TAVUK BOREK (TURKISH CHICKEN PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Steam the chicken breast over boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked, set aside to cool; then, once cooled, remove the skin and bones and finely chop the flesh.
• Heat the butter, add the flour and cook over a moderate heat for a few minutes, stirring. Gradually add the milk, bring to the boil, then immediately lower the heat and simmer over a low heat for 2 minutes and add the cinnamon and raisins and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then set aside to cool, covering the surface with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. When the sauce is cool, stir through the chicken.
• Cut the pastry lengthways into three strips. Cover with a tea towel. Take one strip of pastry, brush lightly with oil and place a little filling at one end. Fold over end and sides and roll up neatly. Place seam side down on a greased baking tray. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Brush tops with a little oil and bake in a moderate oven (180°C; 350°F) for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
• Serve warm.
• Note: To make the Borek as a main meal make double the quantity of filling, by following the instructions in steps 1 and 2. Leave the pastry whole, and use 3 lightly oiled sheets to line the base of a suitable lightly oiled pan. Once the filling mixture has cooled, place it over the pastry and cover it with 3 more lightly oiled sheets. Sprinkle it with water and lightly score the surface. Bake as in step 3 but for 35-40 minutes, or until golden.