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1 onion (grated)

150 grams minced meat (veal or mutton)

freshly ground black pepper

parsley and dill (finely chopped)

oil for frying

Quick to prepare, this börek is another winner. Choose from a broad range of fillings, from spicy cheeses to vegetables, from shrimps to mushrooms (for the classic white cheese filling, see Sigara Böreği recipe). This recipe uses the traditional minced-meat filling.

Spread the yufkas on a work surface. Cut into even-sized strips, about three fingers (5 centimeters) wide and 20 centimeters long.

Prepare the filling by heating the butter in a skillet and sautéing the onion until translucent. Stir in the meat, season with pepper and sparingly with salt (because yufka is already salted), and stir-fry until all the juices are absorbed. Remove from the heat, add the chopped herbs, stir, and set aside to cool slightly.

Spoon a little meat filling near one end and fold the nearest corner over the filling to make a triangle. Continue folding, securing the open sides in a neat triangular parcel. Finish by dampening the loose end with a little water to seal.

Heat the oil and deep-fry the böreks until deliciously puffed up. Serve at once as an appetizer, or with a robust green salad and a glass of red wine as a complete meal.

Puf Böreği

Puff Börek

about 4 cups wheat flour

1 cup water

salt

1 egg

½ cup olive oil

Filling: 1 egg

parsley and dill (finely chopped) 250 grams white or feta cheese oil for frying

This puffed-up börek is the superstar in the constellation of böreks. Its delicate, flaky, melting-in-the-mouth texture makes it addictive. The use of a traditional oklava makes it easy to roll out the pastry into a large, fine sheet.

Knead the flour, water, salt, one of the eggs, and the olive oil into a pliable dough. Cover and leave to rest for about an hour.

Divide the dough into six identical pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 20 centimeters in diameter. Brush with olive oil and place them one on top of each other.

When finished, fold up this stack of circles, knead briefly once more, and roll into a ball. Divide into two equal pieces and cover with a damp cloth.

Prepare the filling by breaking the second egg into a bowl. Beat it with a fork and add the parsley, dill, and cheese. Blend well to a creamy consistency.

On a spacious surface lightly dusted with extra flour or, better still, rice flour, roll out one of the balls as finely as possible with a rolling pin or oklava into a sheet about 60 centimeters (almost 2 feet) in diameter. Down one side of this sheet of dough, about four finger-widths in from the edge, place small mounds of filling in a row, spacing them evenly about four finger-widths apart. Leave enough space at the edge to fold the dough over the filling. Flip the outer edge over the filling, and press the rim of a glass or small metal lid into the dough to cut small semicircles around the mounds of filling. This seals the filling inside. Transferring cut börek pieces to a clean kitchen towel, repeat, row by row, with the rest of the dough and again with the second ball of dough. Knead the trimmings into another ball and repeat with the remaining filling.

Heat plenty of oil in a deep pan and deep-fry the böreks on both sides. Serve hot and puffed up, perhaps accompanied by a refreshing compote freshly made with seasonal fruit.

The Milky Way

BERRIN TOROLSAN

TURKISH MUHALLEBI (milk pudding) satisfies children and adults alike, and some muhallebi are far too sophisticated for a child. In this piece, Torolsan revives the stars of Istanbul’s vanishing pudding shops.

TWENTY YEARS ago in Istanbul they were everywhere, and there are still a few around—special little shops with a couple of marble-topped tables and Thonet chairs, not there in the name of fashion, but simply because that was when the place was last refurbished. A white-aproned waiter hastily wipes a table to make room for another customer. In a way these shops are as much a part of Istanbul life as cafés are in Vienna, though the food and the concept