Savory Pastries

Tray bake filo pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali Borek

Turkish tray bake pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali tepsi boregi

My parents are visiting from Istanbul; it’s been over three years since they were last here, it really is wonderful to have them in England. Regular visitors of this blog knows that my parents’ love of Turkish food and passion for sharing others have been a major influence on us and hence the share of delicious Turkish cuisine in my blog. You can imagine how excited I am about spending time with parents, cooking together with my mother, gathering with friends and family to share.

Spread the ground meat & onion mixture over the yufka or filo pastry sheets

My mother brought some wonderful yufka, Turkish fresh, paper thin sheets of pastry – a real luxury as I can’t get them here in England. We made this easy and delicious tray bake with ground meat and onions; kiymali tepsi boregi. Another delicious borek you can easily make at home using filo pastry sheets if yufka is not available.

This lovely recipe and over 90 authentic recipes are included at Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book. Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table is 30 % off via GBPublishing at this link, until end July 3rd 2020. It is delivered worldwide, including the USA. The offer has been our way of helping out food lovers with home cooking, especially during the Covid 19 lock down. Many thanks for all your kind words and sharing your delicious creations with us. Signed copies will still continue at this link.

My best wishes,

Ozlem

4.7 from 3 reviews

Tray bake filo pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali Borek

An easy and delicious kiymali borek, Turkish savory pastry with ground meat and onions filling. Yufka, Turkish fresh pastry sheets are used traditionally, but filo pastry sheets also work very well. You can serve as an appetizer or as a morning or afternoon snack with tea.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Boreks, Turkish Savory Pastries

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

3 sheets of yufka Or 12 sheets of filo pastry (each sheet 48cmx25cm), thawed
2 onions, finely chopped
400 gr/ 14 oz. ground beef or lamb (or a mixture)
2 eggs
8 fl. oz. /1 cup whole or semi skimmed milk + extra 2 tbsp. milk for the top of the pastry
4 fl. oz./ ½ cup water
45ml / 3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a wide, heavy pan and stir in the chopped onions. Sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes to soften them up.
Stir in the ground meat to the onion mixture and sauté for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
Beat 1 egg and 1 egg white (save the remaining 1 egg yolk in a small bowl for later) and mix with 1 cup of milk and ½ cup of water.
Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil and spread 1 sheet of yufka (with excess of yufka hanging out of tray) or 2 sheets of filo pastry on top of one another.
Spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry.
Lay the next sheet of yufka or 2 more sheets of filo pastry. Again, Spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry.
If using filo pastry, lay two more sheets. Again, Spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry.
Spread the ground meat and onion mixture evenly over the pastry.
Lay the last layer of yufka sheet over the filling and tuck in and fold the excess sides of yufka sheet over the filling as a layer.
If using filo pastry sheets, spread the ground meat and onion filling over the 6th sheet, after spreading the egg, milk and water mixture.
Place 2 more sheets of filo pastry over the filling and continue to spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry. Lay the 10th filo sheet spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry. Then lay the last two sheets of filo pastry.
Mix 2 tbsp. milk with the remaining egg yolk and remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil (if you have any milk & egg and water mixture left, you can add this mixture too). Spread this mixture over the last sheet of yufka or filo pastry.
Bake in the pre-heated oven (180C/350F) for 20- 25 minutes, until the top of the pastry turns to golden to light brown.
Once cooked, cover with a baking paper to keep moist and cool for 10 minutes. Slice in squares and serve warm.

Notes

If using frozen filo pastry, thaw overnight in the fridge or bring to room temperature 2 hours before using. If you’re using fresh filo pastry kept in the fridge (as in the UK), bring to room temperature 30 minutes before using. Keep the filo pastry covered with a damp cloth as you are working. This will help to avoid it getting too dry or less manageable.

Pastry rolls with pastirma, cheese and vegetables; Pacanga Boregi

By Ozlem Warren on April 14, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Savory Pastries, Turkish Breakfast 16

Filo rolls with Turkish pastirma, spicy pastrami – Pacanga boregi

Delicious delicacy pastirma, dried cured beef with a coating of spices called cemen, consisting of cumin, fenugreek, garlic and hot chili flakes is also very much enjoyed in pastries, as part of a mezze spread in Turkey. Pacanga boregi, as we call in Turkish, showcases flavorful pastirma, kasar cheese (Turkish cheddar cheese) and in some versions like mine, diced peppers and tomatoes. It is one of our favorite pastries for a Turkish style weekend brunch or as a mezze spread.

Turkish dried cured beef with a spicy cemen coating, Pastirma

This wind-dried beef, pastirma has been made in Anatolia for centuries. It’s also been enjoyed throughout Middle Eastern as well as Eastern European countries and has a special part in Lebanese and Armenian cuisine. Some of the finest pastirma is being produced in Kayseri region, in Middle Anatolia, Turkey; it almost has a silky texture and just melts in the mouth, very aromatic with the spicy cemen coating; I hope you can have a chance to enjoy pastirma in Kayseri. Here is more information about pastirma, with a delicious egg recipe.

Rolling the pacanga boregi; tomatoes and peppers make a delicious filling with pastirma & cheeese

Rolling the pacanga boregi; tomatoes and peppers make a delicious filling with pastirma & cheese

Paçanga böreği is regarded as a “traditional Sephardic Jewish specialty of Istanbul, filled with pastirma, kasar and julienned green peppers that is fried in olive oil and eaten as a mezze, appetizer”. There are a few versions of pacanga boregi, pastry rolls with pastirma; I like to include some tomatoes and green bell pepper (or pointy pepper, sivri biber in Turkey) in the filling. These juicy vegetables complement the rich, spicy taste of pastirma. They are traditionally made with fresh, paper thin sheets of yufka pastry and it’s great if you can get them. I used filo pastry sheets for my pacanga borek, and they worked well and boreks disappeared very quickly! They are also fried traditionally and I chose to bake them; they turned out very well.

Pacanga Boregi; Turkish pastry rolls with pastirma, Turkish pastrami

I hope you enjoy these delicious rolls, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Pastry rolls with pastirma, cheese and vegetables; Pacanga Boregi

I hope you enjoy these delicious rolls with Turkish pastirma, dried cured beef with spicy coating, cheese and vegetables. They are great served as mezzes, appetizers, part of a weekend brunch or a delicious snack.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Savory pastries with Turkish pastrami, dried cured beef

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

6 sheets of filo pastry (app. 48cmx25cm, 19”x10” each) or equivalent of yufka sheets
½ green bell pepper or 1 pointy green pepper (sivri biber), finely diced
2 small tomatoes, finely diced
15 ml/1 tbsp. olive oil
8 slices of pastirma (Turkish dried cured beef), or a pastrami of your choice, roughly chopped
150 gr / 5 oz. shredded Turkish kasar (cheddar) cheese or mozzarella, for a milder taste
Salt and ground black pepper for seasoning
1 egg, beaten to brush the pastries
15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil to brush the pastries
Bowl of water to seal the pastries
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F/ Gas Mark 4

Instructions

For best results, thaw the frozen filo pastry in the fridge overnight and bring it to the room temperature 1 hour before using. That enables the filo thaw completely. If it is sold fresh as in the UK, you only need to bring the filo sheets to the room temperature 30 minutes before using.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and stir in the diced pepper and tomatoes. Stir and cook over medium heat for 3 -5 minutes, until the peppers start to soften. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste (You may use a little salt or omit, as the pastirma is quite salty too). Set aside to cool.
Place the chopped pastirma or pastrami of your choice and the cheese in a wide bowl. Stir in the cooked tomatoes and peppers, combine well. Filling is ready.
Cut the filo sheets into 11cmx25cm (4”x9”) rectangular stripes and stack on top of each other. Place a damp towel over them so that they don’t dry out.
Lay two rectangular strips of filo sheets on top of one another.
Place a generous tablespoon of the filling along the short end near you (take care not to overfill as the filling may ooze out while cooking). Fold over the pastry from each side to seal in the mixture and then roll up like a fat cigar.
Seal the end of the pastry as well as any openings/ cracks with little water. Repeat this with the remaining filo sheets.
Mix the egg with the olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the boreks, pastries with this mixture and place them on a greased tray.
Bake the pastries in the preheated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes or until golden.
Serve hot as a mezze spread, weekend brunch or a tasty snack.

Gorgeous tulips in Istanbul in April

Spring is in the air, trees are in full blossom, I love this time of the year. It’s the tulip season in Istanbul, and they are such a gorgeous sight to see. Here is a favorite tulip photo to share from my culinary & cultural trip to Istanbul last April; I hope it brightens your day!

Spinach and cheese filled filo pastry triangles; Muska Boregi

By Ozlem Warren on March 24, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Savory Pastries, Turkish Breakfast, Turkish Cooking Classes 28

Spinach and feta cheese filo triangles, Muska Boregi

We recently made these delicious cheese & spinach filo triangles, muska boregi as we call in Turkish, at my recent Turkish cookery class. They were a huge hit and participants pleasantly surprised how easy & delicious they were. Indeed, these scrumptious triangles are a winner from children to adults. They are actually easier than you think; here are step by step visual instructions to make the stuffed filo triangles:

Fold the end of the strip over the filling diagonally so that it forms a triangle

Continue folding the strip in triangles until you get a small, triangular stuffed pastry

Boreks, stuffed pastries are hugely popular in Turkish cuisine; we Turks love them for breakfast as an appetizer or a mid-day snack; there really is not a bad time for a borek! Yufka, the wonderful thin sheets of fresh pastry is used traditionally to make boreks at home, though they are hard to find (and not as good) abroad. (If you can get fresh yufka especially in Turkey, you can use only one sheet at a time, as yufka is more moist and manageable. You may just want to keep your yufka stripes a little longer). I use the filo pastry sheets for this recipe and it works well. If frozen, you need to defrost the filo sheets overnight in the fridge and or leave at room temperature 2 hour before using. If you are using the fresh filo sheets kept in the fridge as in the supermarkets in the UK, you need to leave them at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. As for the cheese filling, if you can get the delicious, moist Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir, that is a perfect fit here; I love Pinar Foods UK‘s white cheese, beyaz peynir. I find feta drier than the Turkish equivalent. Therefore, I add a little grated mozzarella to bring some creaminess and balance the flavors, especially if feta is used.

Here’s also my YouTube video for these delicious filo triangles:

The trick with filo sheets is that they can dry out very quickly; if you keep the sheets under a slightly damp towel that helps to manage filo greatly. I hope you enjoy these delicious triangles; why not serving these delicious triangles with the refreshing Shepherd’s Salad with Sumac? They complement each other very well.

There are over 90 wholesome, easy, delicious Turkish recipes at my blog here as well as at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table to inspire you. Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table are now 25 % Off at this link and delivered worldwide including the US.

I am also delighted to share with you that we also designed this special Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, just in time for the holiday gift giving season. It is special to my heart, as it is made in Turkey, with my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the hand embroidered design – this lovely apron would make a wonderful gift for the festive season, you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US. We also have a special offer for Ozlem’s Turkish Table readers; for a limited time, to you can get a signed copy of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book bundled with this apron at a special price of £27.99. This special offer ends on 21th November 2020 (including), if you like to get yours here is the link. Delivered worldwide including the US.

Spinach & feta filled filo triangles, Muska Boregi

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 5 reviews

Spinach and cheese filled filo pastry triangles; Muska Boregi

These popular Turkish savory pastries, Muska Boregi or Spinach and Cheese Filo Triangles, are delicious and easy; a real crowd pleaser. I hope you enjoy them, Afiyet Olsun!

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish Savory Pastries, Borek

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

150 gr / 7 oz spinach leaves
150 gr/ 7 oz feta cheese, mashed with a fork
100 gr / app. 4 oz shredded mozzarella
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons mild olive oil
Bowl of 8 fl. oz/ 1 cup water to seal the pastry
12 sheets of filo pastry (each sheet 48cmx25cm)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180c/350 F/gas mark 4
Remove the stalks of the spinach, wash and chop roughly.
Mix together in a bowl with the feta cheese, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shredded mozzarella and two of the beaten eggs; the filling is ready.
In a separate bowl, mix 1 egg and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Grease a rectangular baking dish with a little olive oil.
Lay the pastry sheets on a clean surface and cut into 10cmx25cm stripes.
Stack the stripes on top of another and cover with a damp towel so that they won’t dry out.
Keep a bowl of water near you.
Lay two stripes of filo sheets at top of one another.
Place 1 tablespoon of the spinach mixture at one end of the filo pastry strip.
Fold the end of the strip over the filling diagonally so that it forms a triangle.
Continue folding the strip in triangles until you get a small, triangular stuffed pastry.
Seal the pastry all around with the water; water really helps to keep filo sheets intact here. Repeat with remaining filo until you have used all of the filling.
Place the stuffed triangle pastries on the greased baking dish and brush them with the egg & olive oil mixture.
Bake the triangles in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, until they are is golden brown. Serve hot as an appetizer or as part of a mezze spread.This dish can be successfully reheated.

Notes

1) If you would like to cut back on the amount of the eggs, you can decrease them in the spinach and feta filling. 2) This filo triangles freeze wonderfully. Once cooled, put them in a freezer bag and seal. When you’d like to reheat (at 180 C/ 350 F for about 15 minutes), put them in a greased baking tray and sprinkle the top with a little milk and water mixture to give some moisture