Borek

Borek are baked or fried filled pastries made of thin flaky dough. It can be filled with cheese, often feta, or kasar; minced meat, or vegetables. Most probably invented in what is now Modern Turkey, in the Anatolian Provence of the Ottoman Empire, in its early era, to become a popular element of Ottoman cuisine

A borek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. The top of the borek is often sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Borek is also very popular in the cuisine of the former Ottoman Empire, especially in North Africa and throughout the Balkans.

Ingredients;

7 sheets Filo Pastry
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
120ml milk
2 eggs
1 pinch salt  
For this recipe, choose one of the following fillings:
Spinach Filling:-

500g fresh chopped spinach

100g crumbled feta
1 onion, chopped
1tblsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Beef Filling:-

Salt
Black pepper
1tsp ground cumin

Pinch chilli powder

250g minced beef
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 small chilli pepper finely chopped

For Spinach Filling:-

Place a large pan over high heat; add a splash of olive oil and cook the spinach for 1-2mins or until completely wilted. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Squeeze the cooked spinach with your hands to get rid of excess water.
Put the salt, pepper, olive oil and onion in a pan. Cook on medium heat for two minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking for about 1-2 minutes. Put aside and add the feta cheese, mix well.

For Beef Filling:-

Put the salt, black pepper, ground cumin, chilli powder, minced beef and onion in a pan. Cook on medium heat until the beef is done. Add the tomatoes and the chilli. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Put aside.

To Complete the Borek:-

In a bowl, mix the eggs, olive oil and milk with a whisk. This liquid mix will go between every two layers of the pastry, and will complement your choice of filling. The spinach or beef filling will go in the middle only.

Grease the casserole dish. Place two sheets of the pastry in the bottom and over the sides of the dish. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid mix on top. Take another two sheets of pastry, fold in half, and stack in the dish. Then, spread all of your main filling onto the stack. Resume layering the pastry and the liquid mix until the pastry is finished. Then, fold the sides of the bottom layer over. Make sure you pour the remaining mix on top to prevent burning in the oven.

Leave the casserole dish in the fridge for 2-3 hours, this way it will be more crispy and tasty. Pre-heat the oven to 175c. Bake until golden brown.