facebooktwittertelegramwhatsapp
copy short urlprintemail
+ A
A -
webmaster

DAVID TANIS
NYT Syndicate
When I want a satisfying snack, more often than not I opt for something salty, spicy or crisp ” a slice of pizza, a taco, an empanada. If I pop into a bakery, it's the savoury, cheesy items that appeal, not the sweets.
I recently found myself craving a borek, remembering the delicious flaky little pies I had tasted in Istanbul. (You find similar savoury pies throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and neighbouring regions.) Had I been in Queens or New Jersey, where Turkish shops and restaurants abound, it would have been an easy yearning to satisfy. Some exist in Manhattan, but not in my neighbourhood.
Instead, I picked up a box of phyllo dough and proceeded to make my own. A borek can be filled with any number of things ” spinach, onions, potatoes, eggs, cheese, meat ” in any number of combinations. Like baklava, a large borek can be made on a baking sheet and cut into smaller shapes after baking. But often they are made individually, like hand pies, in triangular or half-moon shapes. I'm especially fond of the long sigara borek, rolled to look like a cigar.
Some recipes for boreks have very simple fillings: a little yogurt and beaten egg, some mild fetalike cheese. But I was fascinated with recipes that featured complex fillings, with salty, sweet and sour elements. The version I came up with has a meat filling with caramelised onions, ground lamb and a good pinch of cinnamon, cumin and hot pepper. I added raisins and pine nuts as well, and balanced the flavour with the sour taste of sumac powder and the sweet-sour tang of pomegranate molasses. These last ingredients are available in Middle Eastern groceries and online, but you could make do with lemon juice, sweet vinegar and honey.
I wanted to smear a bit of cheese filling inside and settled on a mixture of thick yogurt and feta laced with parsley and mint. When I asked a Turkish friend if I had gone overboard with two fillings, she kindly hinted that perhaps a plainer rendition might be more traditional. But even if my recipe isn't entirely authentic, my borek does taste very much like ones I admired in Istanbul.
Though I had planned to roll the pastries into tight cylinders, I adopted a looser, flatter shape, which ended up looking more like a blintz. Once they were painted with egg, sprinkled with sesame or nigella seeds and baked, they emerged bronzed and fragrant.
Served whole, these boreks are impressive. But I usually cut each one into two, three or four pieces, making it easier to feed a crowd of snackers.
Turkish-Style Lamb Boreks
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 large servings, or up to 32 small bites

Ingredients
For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for brushing phyllo dough
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 pound ground lamb
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon sumac powder
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
For the cheese filling:
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or mashed with a fork
1 cup thick plain Greek-style yogurt or drained whole milk yogurt, preferably quite tangy
Salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon roughly chopped mint
1 teaspoon crumbled dried mint

For assembly:
16 phyllo dough sheets, 18x14-inches
1 egg, well beaten
3 tablespoons sesame, nigella or poppy seeds

Method
1. Prepare the meat filling: Place a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. When oil and butter are hot, add onions and cook briskly, stirring, until onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add lamb to onions and break into rough pieces with a wooden spoon, mashing occasionally, until lamb is crumbly and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Season mixture generously with salt and pepper, then add cinnamon, cumin, cayenne and sumac. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes more, stirring. Raise heat as necessary to let mixture brown well. Stir in pomegranate molasses, raisins and pine nuts. Taste and adjust seasoning, then set aside to cool.
3. Prepare the cheese filling: Put feta and yogurt in a bowl and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper, whisk in beaten egg, then stir in parsley, fresh mint and dried mint.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble boreks one at a time: Lay one sheet of phyllo on a clean work surface. Brush very lightly with olive oil. Carefully place another phyllo sheet directly on top and brush with oil. Fold this doubled sheet in half, to form a rectangle 9x14-inches. Position it so the 9-inch end is facing you.
5. Spoon 3 tablespoons cheese filling over surface of rectangle, smearing with the back of a spoon to cover, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1/4 cup lamb mixture in a 2-inch ribbon along the edge closest to you.
6. Fold over long sides of pastry an inch or so to help contain filling. Lift edge and loosely roll up pastry away from you, as if rolling up a carpet. Brush pastry lightly with oil as you proceed. The result should look like a flat cigar, about 3 inches wide and about 8 inches long. Continue to assemble remaining boreks.
7. Transfer pastries to a parchment-lined baking sheet, placing them 1 inch apart. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame, nigella or poppy seeds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
copy short url   Copy
28/03/2017
800