Sigara Borek Recipe

Börek is a family of baked filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough such as phyllo or yufka, of Turkish origins and also found in the cuisines of the Balkans, the South Caucasus, Levant, Mediterranean, and other countries in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. A börek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. The top of the börek is occasionally sprinkled with sesame or nigella seeds. Early origins of Spanakopita Greeks have been eating these pies since ancient times. One of the earliest references to one comes from the poet Philoxenos in the fifth century B.C. Philoxenos writes that at the end of a banquet the hosts served a cheesecake made with milk and honey that was baked like a pie. (Sigara Borek)

Ingredients

• 4 fresh ‘yufka’ sheets
• 600 grams feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley (chopped)
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Step 1

If you’re using round ‘yufka’ sheets, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut them into triangles. Divide each circle into eight to ten triangular slices like you are slicing a pizza. The wide base of each triangle should be about four to five inches wide.

Step 2

If you are using frozen phyllo, thaw it gently according to the package directions. Here are some tips on working with frozen phyllo.

Step 3

Using two phyllo sheets, one on top of the other, begin at the center point of one of the short edges. Cut diagonally down to the left bottom corner. Starting again from the top center point, cut diagonally down to the right bottom corner. This will give you three pastry triangles from each rectangular sheet.

Step 4

In a small bowl, crumble the white cheese or Feta with your fingers. Add the chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5

Take a pastry triangle and position it so the wide end is at the bottom and the point is pointing away from you. Spread about a tablespoon of the filling in a thin line near the bottom edge, leaving about one-half inch empty on each side.

Step 6

Before you begin rolling, fold the bottom right and left corners of the pastry toward the center to cover the edges of the filling. This will trap the filling inside as you roll the pastry up.

Step 7

Using your fingers, gently roll the pastry away from you toward the point of the triangle. Try to tuck in any open edges as you go along. When you get to the end, wet the inside of the point of the triangle and stick it to the roll. This will seal it keep it closed as it fries.

Step 8

Heat about two inches of oil to frying temperature. Add several pastries to the pan leaving some space in between them to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Step 9

Using prongs or a fork, move them around as they fry for a more even color. When the ends begin to brown, flip them over and let the other side cook. When the pastries are done, they should be golden-brown all over with darker ends.

Step 10

Drain the pastries on a thick layer of paper towels before serving