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Puff Pastry Pockets with Cheese, Potato and Parsley – Patatesli, Peynirli Borek





We Turks love boreks (savory filled pastries). You see dozens of pastry shops and street stalls with mouth watering pastries, sweet and savory; the smells and looks so inviting that they drag you to the store. Most common savory filling would be cheese and parsley, and cheese and spinach though some are with cheese and potato; onion and ground meat; olives; cheese and zucchini; and many more. We love indulging ourselves to these lovely boreks straight from oven with a glass of cay (tea), at breakfast, tea time or just anytime.

I tried the borek with puff pastry this time and it worked really well. You can serve these delicious treats as a starter or you can enjoy them for lunch with salad or with a cup of cay (tea) as we Turks do. You can also make them smaller and serve as finger food at dinner parties. These tasty treats can be made ahead of time.

Serves 6-8
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking (baking) time: 25 minutes

For the filling:
260gr/9oz potatoes boiled and skin peeled
15ml/2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
110gr/4oz grated mozzarella or cheddar (or combination)
1 egg
15ml/1tablespoon olive oil
30ml/2 tablespoons milk
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 packs of 370gr/13oz puff pastry, thawed
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg
5ml/1 teaspoon nigella seeds to decorate
5ml/1 teaspoon sesame seeds to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F

The puff pastry in the UK comes fresh and is kept in the fridge. So it needs to be taken out 20 minutes before using. The puff pastry in the US comes frozen and it needs to be thawed 2 hours before using at room temperature.

For the filling; first cut the potatoes into small quarters and boil in plenty of hot water, for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, peel off the skin (it is easer to peel the potato skin once the potatoes are cooked). In a bowl, mash the potatoes and stir in the cheese, olive oil, milk and parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and check if more seasoning is needed. Add the egg and mix well. The filling is ready.

Place the puff pastry sheet (about 350mmx225mm) on a flat surface and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place the filling in the middle of the piece and bring the edges together and seal in both ends. Repeat this with the rest of the pastry.

Place the filled pastries into a greased baking tray. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with one egg and brush each pastry with this mixture. Sprinkle nigella and sesame seeds over the pastries. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden at the top.

Serve warm with a green salad by the side and if preferred, with a glass of cay (tea).

Afiyet Olsun!

10 Responses to Puff Pastry Pockets with Cheese, Potato and Parsley – Patatesli, Peynirli Borek

  1. A Seasonal Cook in Turkey April 5, 2011 at 6:17 am #

    mmm Özlem, these look delicious! I tend not to make börek because I am always afraid of the calories but my husband loves them and misses them!!
    Claudia

  2. Ozlem's Turkish Table April 6, 2011 at 7:44 am #

    Thank you Claudia:) We do love boreks and they are big hits for the children too. The filling is pretty innocent consisting of cheese, parsley and potato, and though the kids go for it big time, I keep them as a treat and enjoy every mouthful! my philosophy is enjoy all these but in moderation:)
    many thanks for the comment, happy cooking!
    Ozlem

  3. Cuisine de Provence April 7, 2011 at 10:59 pm #

    This is a recipe I can almost taste right now and will make very soon!

  4. Ozlem's Turkish Table April 10, 2011 at 11:50 am #

    Hello Barbara:)
    Many thanks for the comment, it is like a little sunshine on a plate, hope you enjoy it:)
    Afiyet Olsun,
    Ozlem

  5. Jpnathan Harris April 10, 2011 at 8:16 pm #

    for breakfast? what a great idea, especially when having guests over and you want to get a break from too many sweets for the children. A nice way to use up odds and bits when there is not enough for one big shared dish. Thanks for the great photos.

  6. Ozlem's Turkish Table April 11, 2011 at 2:43 pm #

    It's my pleasure Jonathan, it's certainly a crowd pleaser and children really enjoy it. hope you get to try it:)
    Afiyet olsun,
    Ozlem

  7. Erica (Irene) April 12, 2011 at 2:57 pm #

    Cok Guzel…..This looks so good. I'm going to try this recipe. I alwys have puff pastry in the freezer. My husband Dogan loves Borek, I make all kinds for him…….we like it in the morning for breakfast with cay, or sometimes in the afternoon on the weekends. Being married to a Turk for almost 25 years I learned to make all kinds of borek. Thanks for sharing your recipe and photo's.

  8. Ozlem's Turkish Table April 14, 2011 at 3:56 am #

    Merhaba Erica:)
    Many thanks for the comments, we do like boreks:) this one freezes well once cooked too so if there's any leftovers, that might be a pleasant surprise for later. Cay and borek goes so well, hope you all enjoy it:) Afiyet Olsun and greetings to Toronto! Ozlem

  9. Jay November 22, 2013 at 4:31 pm #

    These look delicious. I love the idea of making small canape size ones to serve as finger foods before the main meal… I’m sure these would delight the guests and go down really well with a glass of cold white wine.

    • Ozlem Warren November 24, 2013 at 3:20 pm #

      Thanks Jay, puff pastry is very useful when you have limited time – only thing is they need to be eaten straight away, as they don’t keep well- thank goodness they dissapear quickly! Glad you enjoyed it.

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