Serbian Burek Recipe Meat

BUREK

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Brown ground beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain fat; stir in allspice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Transfer beef to a large bowl and stir in potato and onion.
• Unroll phyllo pastry and transfer 2 sheets to a work surface; stack sheets. Spoon 1/8th of the ground beef mixture down one long edge of the phyllo pastry. Roll phyllo into a tube, encasing beef. Shape the tube into a coil (snail shape). Place the roll on an ungreased baking sheet; brush with melted butter. Repeat, placing finished rolls up against one another to keep them from unrolling.
• Bake burek in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

TRADITIONAL ROLLED BUREK (BOREK) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat a large frying pan over medium-low to medium heat and add the oil.
• Sauté the onion until soft and then add the ground beef, allspice , paprika , salt , and pepper to taste.
• Cook until the meat is crumbly but not dry. Cool completely before you continue. While ground beef mixture is cooling, preheat oven to 375 F.
• Once cooled, lay one sheet of phyllo dough on the counter. Keep the remaining sheets of phyllo dough covered with a damp kitchen towel, and work quickly to prevent it from drying out.
• Brush sheet with some of the melted butter. Place a heaping 1/3 cup of meat mixture on the sheet along the long side, 2 inches from the edge.
• Fold the bottom over the meat mixture and roll into a snake shape. Cut the roll in half and coil each roll into a snail shape.
• Place rolled dough and ground beef pinwheel on a nonstick baking sheet and butt the end up against the edge of the pan to prevent uncoiling. Brush with additional butter. Continue until you've used all the ground beef.
• Bake in a preheated oven 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden. A hint for handling phyllo dough: Be sure the dough is at room temperature before you open the box. Place the sheets of dough on a large cookie sheet and cover them with plastic wrap and then a heavy towel. In this way, they will not dry out while you are working with them. Work fast for best results and do not have the butter too hot when brushing the dough. Recipe Source: The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith (Wm Morrow) Reprinted with permission.

BUREK RECIPE CARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
• Add the beef and the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the beef is browned.
• Remove beef mixture from heat and place in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator. Warm meat with juice will ruin the delicate phyllo and make it soggy.
• Take phyllo dough and unroll carefully. Cut in half. Cover with a moist tea towel to avoid drying.
• Take 3 sheets of phyllo at a time and place a good amount of meat down the center, leaving about 2" at both top and bottom. Using a pastry brush, brush all around the edges of the dough. Fold in once all around. Fold from the short side up and roll tightly like a cigar. Brush with melted butter and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the burek are golden brown. Serve with a side of plain yogurt.
• Any leftover phyllo can be stored again in the freezer. Make sure you wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out.

MEAT BUREK RECIPE #2

Steps:

• In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook ground beef, ground pork and onions until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain in a colander. Let meat cool to room temperature.
• Transfer meat-onion mixture to a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add eggs and egg yolks and mix well.
• Separate filo dough into two piles (about 14 sheets each) and keep covered. You will make 2 meat bureks. Read these tips on Working with Filo Dough.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place 2 sheets of filo dough on the parchment and brush lightly with oil. Add 2 more sheets of filo and brush with oil. Continue until you've used one pile of filo.
• Spread half the meat mixture across the long side of the filo in a strip about 4 inches wide, and 1 inch away from the edges of filo. Fold the sides in, then flip the bottom up and begin rolling into a cylinder. Brush lightly with oil over the entire surface of the burek, and form into a horseshoe shape. Repeat with remaining filo and filling.
• Bake about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. This makes a great luncheon course, entree or appetizer and freezes well cooked or uncooked.

SERBIAN BEEF BUREK (BUREK SA MESOM)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large skillet, sauté the onion and ground chuck over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent.
• Drain in a colander .
• Return the meat-onion mixture to skillet and add the parsley, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute, mixing thoroughly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray . Separate the phyllo dough into 2 piles (approximately 10 to 14 sheets each) and keep covered so they don't dry out. Half will go on the bottom of the pie and half will go on the top.
• Place 2 sheets in the prepared pan and brush lightly with oil, folding in any overhanging edges. Add 2 more sheets and brush with oil. Continue until you've used one pile of phyllo.
• Spread the cooled ground chuck mixture evenly over the phyllo, pushing up to the edges. Begin covering the meat with the remaining phyllo, again using 2 sheets at a time and brushing with oil. Continue until all of the phyllo is used.
• Brush the entire top lightly with oil. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut burek all the way to the bottom into 12 squares.
• In a medium bowl, mix the eggs with the yogurt and soda water . Pour over the burek. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

MEAT BUREK RECIPE #1

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, saute onion and ground chuck until meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain in a colander. Return meat-onion mixture to skillet and add parsley, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute, mixing thoroughly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Lightly coat a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Separate filo dough into two piles (about 14 sheets each) and keep covered. Half will go on the bottom of the pie and half will go on the top. (Read these tips on Working with Filo Dough.)
• Place 2 sheets in prepared pan and brush lightly with oil, folding in any overhanging edges. Add 2 more and brush with oil. Continue until you've used one pile of filo.
• Spread the ground chuck mixture evenly over the filo and to the ends. Begin covering the meat with the remaining filo, again using 2 sheets at a time and brushing with oil.
• Brush entire top lightly with oil. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut burek all the way to the bottom into 12 squares.
• In a medium bowl, mix eggs with yogurt and soda water. Pour over burek. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours. Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.
• This makes a great luncheon course, entree or appetizer and freezes well cooked or uncooked.