Phyllo Meat Pie (stuffed Burek)

A burek, also known as a börek, is a stuffed filo pastry common in countries that were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey, Armenia, Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Bulgaria, and Croatia.

Given the variety of countries that continue to make burek today, it’s no surprise that they have all evolved their own regional differences. Turkish or Albanian burek is often vegetarian, filled with cheese and egg. Armenian burek adds spinach and anise-flavour liqueur.

The methods of preparing burek also differ by region. In Croatia, burek were flat discs, with filling in the middle. In Albania, burek are typically folded into triangles, and look similar to and Indian samosa.

The filling is Inspired by a middle-eastern kofta.

I like to serve this meat pie with yogurt and mint . Flavours perfectly compliment the kofta spices used in the meat.

Now let's jump in to the recipe :

الوصفة باللغة العربية اضغط هنا

Phyllo meat pie

ingredients :

9-10 pieces of phyllo pastry sheets

1/4 cup melted butter

1 egg, lightly beaten + 1tsp water

1 Tbsp sesame seeds.

For the filling :

400 gm ground beef meat

3 Tbsp Olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped.

1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 Tbsp tahini paste

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

salt and black pepper as desire

Directions :

- Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add onion, saute for 1 minute,then Add ground beef, and all spices for the filling and cook over medium heat, stir for 3 minutes. add salt and black pepper mix well and turn heat off. Transfer to a medium bowl.

- Add parsley,tahini paste , and pomegranate molasses, mix well and keep aside.

- Preheat your oven at 180C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

- On a clean, dry surface, lay out three sheets of filo pastry, end to end, slightly overlapping, to create one long rectangle of pastry. Repeat once more, directly overtop the first layer. Complete this process one last time to create a third and final layer.

- Brush the filo with melted butter. Arrange meat mixture in a long line across one long edge of the filo dough and begin to roll it up- tightly but gently. The filo may crack, but keep going,don't worry too much if the dough breaks apart.

- Roll the filo up so that it forms one very long snake shape .* see picture at the bottom

- Roll the tube of filo up on itself to from a spiral disc shape. Place spiral form onto the lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until dough is golden brown.

- Cover the a pie with the clean kitchen towel for at least 5 minutes and serve it yogurt or cucumber salad with mint.

Bon Appétit !