Kol Böreği
Kol Böreği is one of my favorite types of börek. It is a Turkish dish with many variations. There are many regional specialties as well. The fillings can be meat, cheese, leeks, potatoes, zucchini, and eggplant to name a few. Laz böreği is made in the Rize region and it is made with an Ottoman-style milk pudding then sprinkled with powdered sugar. One of my other favorites is Talaş Böreği. It is cubed lamb or beef with carrots, peas, onions, and potatoes in a puff pastry dough. While I was pregnant with my daughter, I could not eat meat for some reason. The weirdest thing happened though. The first meal they brought to me in the hospital after she was born was Talaş Böreği. I ate all the meat out of the börek first then finished the rest of it. What I love about this dish is that it looks like it is difficult to make but it is not really. It will impress your guest. You could serve this with a nice salad or just have it with hot tea or Ayran (Turkish yogurt drink). This makes a huge tray so it is enough to share with your friends (if you really like them a lot 🙂 ) or have left overs for breakfast. Hope you enjoy as much as we did. Afiyet olsun!
- 1 Package Yufka dough
- ¼ Cup Butter, melted
- 1 Cup Yogurt
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ Cup Water
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seed
- 1 Tablespoon Nigella Seed (Black Sesame Seed)
- For Meat Filling:
- 1½ Pound Ground Beef, lean
- 2 Onions
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Parsley
- 1½ Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- For Cheese Filling:
- 1½ Cup Feta Cheese, Crumbled
- ½ Cup Chopped Parsley
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Dill (or ¼ Cup Fresh Dill, Chopped)
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter and allow to cool.
- In a large skillet, saute the onion in 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
- Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink.
- Season with salt and cumin.
- Remove from heat to cool.
- Chop the parsley and add to the beef mixture.
- Prepare the cheese filling.
- Combine the cheese, parsley and dill in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Now mix the yogurt, two eggs and water and whisk until well blended.
- Spread one sheet of the yufka dough on a flat work surface.
- Brush with melted butter and then with a little of the yogurt mixture.
- Sprinkle half of the meat mixture over the entire sheet of yufka.
- Start on one side and roll into a log.
- Place in the baking pan. Traditionally kol boregi is done in a circular or also a U shape but you can arrange it how it fits best in your baking dish.
- Repeat the same process with another sheet of yufka and the remaining meat mixture.
- Using the last sheet of yufka, repeat the process again except this time, use the entire cheese mixture.
- After you have placed all the pieces in your baking dish, pour the remaining yogurt mixture over the top (if it is too thick, you can add a little more water). Sprinkle the entire tray of yufka with sesame seeds and then so you can distinguish the difference between the two, sprinkle the Nigella Seeds over the kol boregi that is filled with meat.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes to get a nice golden brown top.
- Serve with hot tea. Afiyet olsun.
