Turkish Börek

These scrumptious Turkish pastries are made with spiced ground beef, toasted pinenuts and onions rolled in yufka sheets. They are perfect for parties as well as for brunch or dinner. Serve with a salad if you like.
Börek (pronounced "boo-rek"), aka burek or byrek, is a type of savoury pastry made with paper-thin yufka/filo dough layered or rolled with various fillings like meat, cheese, or vegetables, or sweet version with nuts and fruit, then baked or fried until golden. Originating in the Ottoman era, börek is a staple of Turkish cuisine and beloved across the Balkans and Middle East. It can be baked as a large dish and sliced into portions, or shaped into individual pastries. The word “börek” originates from the Turkish verb bürmek, meaning “to twist” or “to wrap,” quite fitting for a dish that typically involves layers of dough twisted or folded around fillings.


40 g Pinenuts, toasted 650 g Ground beef 2 Small onions, finely chopped 1 tsp Pul biber 1 tsp Ground cumin ½ tsp Ground allspice ½ tsp Ground cinnamon ½ tsp Sea salt ½ tsp Freshly milled black pepper 2 tbsp Pomegranate syrup 2 tbsp Parsley leaves, chopped	12 Yufka or filo pastry sheets (18 inch / 45 cm x 14 inch / 35 cm) 150 g Butter, melted 1 tbsp Sesame seeds

In a large skillet over medium heat and dry toast the pine nuts for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden and aromatic. Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.
Put a large pan on medium heat and brown the ground beef until it releases its fat, about 8-10 minutes. Add chopped onions and saute until soft and translucent. Season with spices, salt, pepper and pomegranate syrup. Remove from the heat and Stir through the toasted pine nuts and parsley, set aside to cool before rolling in pastry sheets.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Place a yufka sheet on a clean work surface and brush with melted butter (cover the remainder with a damp cloth to stop them from drying out). Lay another sheet on top and brush with more melted butter to coat the entire sheet. Place 1/6 of the meat filling along the long edge of filo. Gently roll up into a log and coil into a snail. Place it on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with the remaining yufka sheets and meat filling.
Brush the top and side all over with the melted butter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

16 comments:

Lola Martínez 25/2/26 13:03: Como me gustan este tipo de pastelitos salados, lo que pasa es que no los preparo mucho porque no me llevo bien con la masa filo, pero degustarlos me encanta. Te han quedado perfectos.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 25/2/26 13:44: Angie, this Turkish börek looks incredibly tempting. I love how flaky and golden it is - such a beautiful, rustic dish.
Tom 25/2/26 14:04: ...stuffed with goodness!
eileeninmd 25/2/26 14:08: The pastries looks delicious, thanks for sharing Angie!
Take care, enjoy your day!
David M. Gascoigne, 25/2/26 14:20: I should check whether the local Turkish restaurant serves this.
ellie 25/2/26 14:25: Beautiful! I know ours doesn't, but I wish they served this.
Caitlin&Megan 25/2/26 14:25: It makes me think of spring. Awesome flavors I am certain!
Ananka 25/2/26 14:28: Looks good Angie, I really like filo pastry :-D
DEZMOND 25/2/26 15:22: We call it burek here but ours is with cheese and baked in a round pan not in a spiral, and we make the dough ourselves which requires it spreading it extremely thin over the whole table, before filling. Bosnians also make it with meat because they are Muslims, we make it also with all kinds of most imaginative fillings, my fave being button mushrooms and gouda cheese :) But I aslo love it with spinach or with potatoes.
Kathylorraine 25/2/26 15:30: Good morning, looks delicious
Kathy G 25/2/26 15:31: I love just about anything made with fillo.
foodtravelandwine 25/2/26 15:42: I love borek!...it is one of those dishes that are a complete meal itself!. I have a Taiwanese friend who gave me the recipe, and she told me that almost everybody strain the pineapple before making the jam. You can always add some juice if needed......Abrazotes, Marcela
Lori 25/2/26 15:42: This dish has been on my need to make pile of recipes for a while. Thank you for the reminder to make them. Yours looks delicious!!
Brian's Home Blog 25/2/26 16:21: I've never had that but it sure looks good!
Federica Simoni 25/2/26 16:31: wow che buono!
Anonymous 25/2/26 17:19: Looks good -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com