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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.

Sigara Boregi – Crispy Cheese and Herb filled Filo Pastry Rolls

By Ozlem Warren on March 6, 2013 in Fascinating Istanbul, Savory Pastries, Turkish Street Food 36

Asli Borek, Besiktas; here is the cheese & parsley rolls on display

If you have read my previous post on Istanbul, you may already know how much we Turks love a good borek, savory pastries, made with paper thin pastry called Yufka. Boreks are widely available in pastry shops and bakeries, they are also sold on stalls and a hugely favorite street food; delicious and great value too.

It is thought that the Ottoman Palace kitchens devised these tasty treats in order to tempt the precious little princes. These cigar shaped rolls with cheese and parsley is very popular at home. Traditionally the rolls are deep fried in a deep-sided pan, I love this way too as it taste great and crispy. We recently had a go at these rolls in my recent Turkish cookery class and this time we baked them in the oven; the result was still very delicious with a bonus of them being healthier. The rolls disappear very quickly, very popular with children as well as adults. Worth giving a go!

Sigara Boregi; cheese and herb filled pastry rolls

These rolls, as with most savory pastries, are made with paper thin sheets of dough called Yufka in Turkey. As it is difficult to find yufka abroad, I made them with filo pastry sheets and it worked really well. You can prepare the rolls in advance and keep under a damp tea towel in the refrigerator. As with most savory Turkish filled pastries, this borek freeze very well once cooked too.

Serves 4 – 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

260 gr / 9 oz phyllo (filo) pastry sheets, thawed, or fresh yufka sheets, if you can get

225gr/ 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled

60gr/2 oz shredded mozzarella

2 eggs (one for the filling, one for brushing the boreks)

1 bunch / 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

15 ml / 1 tablespoon olive oil

15 ml / 1 tablespoon whole milk

Bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil to seal the rolls

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4

Cheese and parsley mixture for the Sigara boregi rolls.

Mash together the cheese (feta and mozzarella), 1 egg, parsley and the milk to form a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper. However, if the feta cheese is already salty, you may wish not to add salt.

Place the filo sheets on a flat surface. Keep the pastry covered with a damp cloth as you are working. This will help to avoid it getting too dry or less manageable. Working with one sheet at a time, cut the filo into strips about 10-13cm/4-5in wide. Keep the strips covered with another damp cloth.

Fold over the pastry from each side to seal in the mixture.

Lay one strip of filo and place a tablespoon of the filling along one of the short ends (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 cigar.

Wet the end of the pastry with water to seal.

Wet the end of the pastry roll with water to seal.

Wet the end of each pastry roll with water to seal. Continue, keeping the finished ones covered with a damp cloth as you work. It would be ideal to cook straight ahead, but you can cover with a cling film and refrigerate for an hour or so if you need to.

Brush the pastries with olive oil and egg mixture .

Mix the olive oil and the other egg in a bowl. Grease the tray with a little olive oil. Brush the pastries with olive oil and egg mixture and bake until they are golden brown, about 25 – 30 minutes.

Crispy, delicious Sigara boregi, ready to be enjoyed!

You can serve these delicious rolls, Sigara Boregi, hot as part of a meze spread. We also like to eat them as morning or afternoon snacks and they also go down very well for lunch next to this Coban Salata – Shepherd’s Salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and parsley with olive oil and lemon dressing.

Cheese and parsley filled cigar rolls, Sigara Boregi.

If you like to make the easier traybake filo pie, or the triangle Muska boregi, they are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table. Signed copies are available at this link. If you live in the US, Canada or Mexico, there is now lower rates of shipping of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book at this link.

Afiyet Olsun, I hope you can have a go at this easy and delicious treats and enjoy,

Ozlem

A Delightful & Delicious Turkish Restaurant – Karakoy Lokantasi, Istanbul

Karakor Lokantasi, Istanbul - a charming restaurant with delicious mezzes.

Karakoy Lokantasi, Istanbul – a charming restaurant with delicious mezzes.

Karakoy district of Istanbul is buzzing with exciting eateries; there is the Gulluoglu Baklava, one of the best in town; then the Namli Deli & Kebabs next door – a feast to all senses with the wonderful kebabs, mezzes, vegetables cooked in olive oil and more. While in Istanbul, friends this time took me to the Karakoy Lokantasi, placed along the same line with all these wonderful eateries; this buzzing, charming restaurant was a great treat and did not dissapoint us.

Jars of pickled vegetables displayed at Karakoy Lokantasi.

The restaurant serves delicious, traditional Turkish mezzes and main courses and has been buzzing with locals and foodies constantly getting in and out. Their meyhane – tavern style dinners, I hear is especially popular with more variety of deliciuos mezzes, so booking recommended.

Eggplants stuffef with onions, pepper and tomato; Imam Bayildi, and many more at Karakoy Lokantasi

Eggplants stuffed with onions, pepper and tomato; Imam Bayildi, and many more at Karakoy Lokantasi

A delicious array of vegetables cooked in olive oil greeted us; Imam Bayildi – eggplants stuffed with onions, tomatoes, peppers, stuffed vine leaves – sarma-, runner beans (french beans also works) cooked in olive oil with onions and tomatoes, all freshly cooked and so delicious.

Hunkar Begendi – Sultan’s Delight; chunks of delicious meat served over the eggplant puree

I tucked in the delicious Hunkar Begendi – Sultan’s Delight of chunks of delicious meat ragout served over the eggplant puree. This dish is one of the landmarks of our cuisine and very popular at home. Apparently when Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, visited Topkapi Palace – Istanbul as a guest of the Sultan, she admired the puree so much that she sent her chef to Topkapi Palace to learn the technique. Once you’ve mastered the eggplant puree, it goes well with any grilled meat and chicken. Here is the recipe if you would like to have a go at Hunkar Begendi.

Fried anchovies, hamsi; so fresh and delicious

Anchovies, hamsi is a popular fish in Turkey, and they are especially very popular in the Black Sea Region. My friend enjoyed this lightly fried anchovies with a rocket salad, a popular way to serve fish at home.

kaymakli Ayva tatlisi – Quince dessert with Turkish clotted cream

Have you ever tasted Turkish quince dessert, Ayva Tatlisi? It is one of my favorite desserts and we had to have a go at this one at Karakoy Lokantasi, looked so inviting (and tasted amazing). To make this dessert, we pouch the halved quince with its seeds and skin, adding sugar and cinnamon stick for about 1 1/2 hours. The skin and the seeds of quince give this dessert its glorious color. Topped with Turkish thick clotted cream, kaymak, this dessert is an absolute treat.

Ciragan – Spring is in the air in Istanbul.

Happy travels, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Turkish Rose Ravioli – Gul Manti or Sosyete Mantisi

By Ozlem Warren on May 26, 2010 in Savory Pastries 5

This scrumptious coiled pastry with minced meat filling with garlicky yoghurt and spiced olive oil is one of our favourite for dinner parties – it is called also referred as Sosyete mantısı (roughly translated as society or posh mantı) at home, an easier yet equally delicious version of mantı, Turkish dumplings. Found memories of having them with cay, Turkish tea at my mother’s ladies’ afternoon tea gatherings.

In Türkiye, fresh yufka sheets are used for the pastry – filo pastry sheets work just as well here, to form the elegant rose shaped pastry. The trick with filo pastry sheets is that they need to be kept under slightly damp towel so they don’t dry out. Take one sheet at a time to make the coiled shape and work fast. The milk and olive oil sauce works like magic to keep the pastry intact while coiling. They can be made ahead of time and freeze well after baking. If freezing, reheat at preheated fan oven at 180C/350F for about 10 minutes.

You can also make a vegetarian version, using spinach and feta in the filling, as in Ispanakli peynirli gül böreği from my cookery book SEBZE – you can get a copy here worldwide.

Ispanakli gul boregi, from SEBZE cookery book

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do,

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Turkish Rose Ravioli - Gul Manti or Sosyete Mantisi

This scrumptious coiled pastry with minced meat filling with garlicky yoghurt and spiced olive oil is one of our favourite for dinner parties – it is called also referred as Sosyete mantısı (roughly translated as society or posh mantı) at home, an easier yet equally delicious version of mantı, Turkish dumplings. Found memories of having them with cay, Turkish tea at my mother’s ladies’ afternoon tea gatherings. In Türkiye, fresh yufka sheets are used for the pastry - filo pastry sheets work just as well here, to form the elegant rose shaped pastry. The trick with filo pastry sheets is that they need to be kept under slightly damp towel so they don’t dry out. Take one sheet at a time to make the coiled shape and work fast. The milk and olive oil sauce works like magic to keep the pastry intact while coiling. They can be made ahead of time and freeze well after baking. If freezing, reheat at preheated fan oven at 180C/350F for about 10 minutes.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Savoury pastry

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: makes 7 coiled pastries

Ingredients

7 filo pastry sheets (I use Jus Roll) (if you are using thin filo sheets, I suggest using 2 sheets for each coiled pastry)
For the pastry filling:
750g/1lb 10 ½ oz minced beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
1tbsp pomegranate molasses
1tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the milk and olive oil sauce:
60ml/2fl oz whole milk
1tsp olive oil
For brushing:
1 medium egg, beaten
2tsp olive oil
For the garlicky yoghurt:
450g/1lb whole milk yoghurt
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
For the spiced olive oil:
60ml/2fl oz olive oil
1tsp pul biber
1tsp dried mint

Instructions

Combine the yoghurt with the chopped garlic and season with sea salt to your taste. Cover and set aside to bring to room temperature. Take the filo pastry sheets out of the fridge to bring to room temperature, 20 minutes before using, for the best results.
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Pour 1tbsp olive oil in a wide, heavy pan and stir in the chopped onions; sauté for 4 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the minced meat to the pan, combine with the onions and sauté for further 8 minutes then turn the heat off. Stir in the tomato paste and pomegranate molasses, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, combine well. Place the filling in a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Preheat fan oven to 180C/200C/400F. In a small bowl, combine milk with olive oil, to brush the filo pastry sheets. In another small bowl, combine beaten egg with olive oil, to brush the finished rose pastry.
Once the filling is cooled down, open pack of filo sheets. Lay the sheets on a dry, clean surface and cover with a slightly damp towel. To coil the filo successfully, the filo sheets need to be kept moist. Only take one sheet at time and keep the rest covered.
Take 1 filo sheet out and place on a dry surface lengthways. Working fast, brush the sheet with the milk and olive oil mixture. Then place about 110g filling in a line, along the edge near you, leaving 2cm at each end of the pastry filling free (try not to overfill, so the pastry don’t break while coiling). Gently roll up into a cylinder. Brush the pasty edge with the milk and olive oil mixture. Starting from one end, gently wind the filo into a coil and place on the tray with the baking paper on. Brush over and sides of the coiled pastry with the milk and olive oil mixture to seal the end (this helps to patch up any broken pastry too). Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the 6 filo pastry sheets and place the coiled pies side by side with about 1 inch space between them. Make sure to brush the top and sides of the coiled pastries with the milk and olive oil mixture, to keep them intact.
Brush the top and side of the pastries with the egg and olive oil mixture. Bake in middle shelf of the preheated fan oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
Pour olive oil on a small sauté pan and warm over medium heat. Stir in the pul biber and dried mint and gently infuse for 30-40 seconds, turn the heat off.
To serve; spread about 4tbsp garlicky yoghurt on an individual serving plate and place a rose pastry over the top. Drizzle pul biber and dried mint infused olive oil over the hot rose pastry, and drizzle a little more garlicky yoghurt over if you like too. Alternatively, serve the rose pastry plain with a zesty salad aside.