Yasemin's Kitchen

Mediterranean Recipes with a Turkish Flair

Weaved Puff Pastry Cheese Rolls – Örgülü Peynirli Puf Böreği

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Weaved Puff Pastry Cheese Rolls

If you want a very easy recipe for borek, this is it!
You’ll use puff pastry right out of the freezer.
It’s not only easy to prepare, but it looks very appetizing.

Ingredients:

  • 8 squares of puff pastry (mine measured 5″x5″ ea)
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tea spoon water to thin the yolk
  • 1 tea spoon black caraway seeds

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
For the filling, mix cheeses and chopped greens in a small bowl, set aside.
Place frozen puff pastry on a clean flat surface to allow it to thaw just for a few minutes. You don’t want it to thaw to room temperature since it gets sticky when as it gets warm, becoming hard to handle.
Leaving the middle 1/3 of the dough intact, cut 4 horizontal lines on both right and left sides of  the dough as shown in the photo below. Place a spoonful of cheese filling in the middle of the square dough. Starting at the top right, fold down the first strip on the right hand side towards the middle of the dough at a 45 degree angle, covering the filling. Then, do the same with the top strip on the left hand side. Repeat these steps until you wrap the strips criss-cross over the filling. Place the pastry on parchment paper. Prepare the other pastry squares the same way, set aside.

In a small bowl, using a whisk, thin the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water. Brush it over the pastry rolls. Sprinkle caraway seeds on top. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. First transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess grease, then transfer to a serving platter.
Serve hot or warm.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Cheeses, parsley, dill and egg yolk
Make cuts on each side 1 inch apart
Start folding down the strips at an angle over the filling
Fold down all of the strips and secure the end by pressing
Brush egg yolk and sprinkle caraway seeds
Weaved Puff Pastry Rolls with Cheese filling
Weaved Puff Pastry Rolls with Cheese filling

Baked Spinach Rolls

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Baked Spinach Rolls – Ispanaklı Kol Böreği

Borek is  typically a baked or fried pastry with cheese, minced meat or vegetable fillings. It is made with a thin flaky dough known as fillo (phyllo) or, better yet, made with home made dough. Typically one uses olive oil or butter, eggs and milk to enrich the flavor. Borek was a popular dish of Ottoman cuisine. One can see it in all countries that used to be a part of the former Ottoman Empire or the countries who came in contact with the Turkic people.

I wanted to make a vegan version that also tasted good and came up with the following recipe. This one has a spinach, onions and tomatoes filling, however, you can use other fillings. If you decide to use cheese filling make sure to add some chopped fresh herbs like dill or parsley to bring out the flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 3 table spoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes
  • 6 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 10 sheets of fillo (phyllo) dough
  • ¼ cup avocado oil (or grapeseed oil)
  • 1 table spoon black caraway seeds for garnish
You will need:
  • a 10 inch pie dish
  • a 3/8 to 1/3 in thick dowel stick 18 inches or longer
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sauté onions in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté together for another 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and sauté for 1 more minute, set aside.
On a clean flat surface, lay 2 sheets of fillo dough, long side closer to you. Drizzle or brush avocado oil on the top layer of the two fillo sheets. Spread one fifth of the spinach filling over the half of the fillo sheets. Place the dowel close to the edge on the long side of the fillo dough.Starting on the edge with the dowel, gently start to wrap the fillo dough over the dowel. Make it a loosely wrapped roll. If it is tight, it will be hard to do the next step. When the two sheets are rolled around the dowel, gently push the two ends of the roll towards the center, gathering the dough, giving it a wrinkled look.  Holding one end of the dowel stick with one hand, slowly slide the roll into the pie dish. Lay the roll along the outer edge of the dish.
Repeat this 4 more times, placing rolled in the pie dish spiraling inwards until you use all the fillo dough and the pie dish is full. Brush the rest of the avocado oil on top of the rolls. Sprinkle black caraway seeds on top.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it is golden brown, about 35-45 minutes.
Cut into wedges like you would cut a pie. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Fresh Baby Spinach
Sauté Onions in Olive Oil
Onions and tomatoes Sautéed
Vegetables Sautéed
Brush oil on fillo dough
Spread filling over half of the dough
Place dowel stick on the long edge where the filling is.
Start loosley rolling the dough
Dough completely rolled over the dowel
Gather the dough from both ends toward the center
Place rolls into the pie dish in a spiral
Brush remaining oil on the rolls
Sprinkle caraway seeds on top
Baked Spinach Rolls ready to be served

 

Olive Bread – Zeytinli Ekmek

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Olive Bread – Zeytinli Ekmek

Here’s a tasty savory bread with olives, cheese and herbs. Very easy to make. It is great at breakfast/brunch as well as at afternoon tea-time.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper (about 1/2 pepper), chopped
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup sliced green olives (use the ones stuffed with red pepper if you like)
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black caraway seeds (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray an oven safe bread loaf pan with olive oil, dust with flour, set aside. Steam chopped red bellpepper until it is cooked. About 2-3 minutes.
In a large pan, combine olive oil, eggs and milk. Mix well with a whisk until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, parsley and dill, mix with spoon. Add peppers, olives and feta cheese, gently stir with a spoon. Pour the mixture into the bread loaf pan. Sprinkle caraway seeds on top (optional). Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake, about 50-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let it cool to room temperature. Remove from the pan. Slice and transfer to a serving tray. Enjoy!
Note: You could bake this in regular or small muffin cups as well. If you do, baking time will be reduces to around 30-40 minutes.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Crumbled feta cheese and olives
Chopped bell peppers, parsley and dill
Steamed bell peppers
Oil, milk and eggs mixed
Flour, baking powder, herbs added to the batter
Peppers, cheese and olives added
Ready to go in the oven
Fresh out of the oven
Sliced, ready to be served!

Poğaça – Savory Pastry with Cheese Filling

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Poğaça – Savory Pastry with Cheese Filling

Poğaça is a delicious little pasty which usually accompanies tea coffee in the morning or in afternoon. It is unresistable especially when it is hot out of the oven. Simple savory dough is filled with cheese and herbs or with sauted ground beef and onions, sometimes with olives or mashed potatoes. Regardless, it is a favorite with most, children in particular.

There are two versions of the dough, one with yeast, one without. This recipe does not use yeast. Yeast version (recipe to follow in the future) is a bit softer.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs (separate and set aside 1 yolk for glazing)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 1/2-3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Filling:

  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella, grated
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Separate one yolk, place it in a small bowl, add a tablespoonful of water, mix with a spoon and set aside for glazing.

In a large bowl, mix olive oil, butter, milk, baking powder, salt and the rest of eggs with a whisk. Add 2 cups of flour and continue mixing with a spoon. Slowly add more flour and knead the dough until the dough has the consistency of an ear lobe. Yes, an ear lobe! This description is commonly used in Turkish recipes. When making dough, one is always instructed to “add flour and knead until the dough is soft like an ear lobe”. Soft, yet firm enough that it can be shaped and will keep its shape. Cover the bowl with a wet towel and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. It will be easier to handle when it is chilled.

Take a golf ball sized piece from the dough. Shape it into a ball by rolling it between your palms. The flatten the dough on a clean, flat surface. Press a small cup upside down, cutting a perfect circle out of the dough. Place a teaspoon full of cheese/parsley mix filling in the middle of the circle shaped dough. Fold it in half, giving it the half-moon shape, gently press the edges with your fingers to close the sides. Repeat this until all of the dough is used to make poğaças. Place the half circle shaped pieces on the lined cookie sheet. These pastry pieces will rise and expand in the oven, therefore, when placing on the cookie sheet make sure they don’t touch each other. Brush egg yolk over the poğaça pieces.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven. Let it bake until poğaças are golden brown.
They taste great fresh out of the oven, but, they can be served at room temperature. Great with tea, coffee or lemonade.

Start with 2 cups of flour in the dough first
Dough is ready
Dough coverered with a wet towel before put in the refrigerator
The Filling: Grated cheeses and chopped parsley mixture
Golfball size dough will be flattened by hand
By pressing a glass cup upside down, dough is cut in a circular shape
Filling is placed in the middle of the dough
Fold the dough in half, press to close the sides
Pogacas are place on a cookie sheet
Brush egg yolk on the poğaças, sprinkle caraway seeds or sesame seeds
Poğaças fresh out of the oven
Tea Time!

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Simply Delicious Cake

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Whenever I go to my sister Dilek’s house, one thing you can count on in the kitchen is their ever inviting home-made cake. This is more like a sweet bread. Simple and delicious! I say simple because I know that my nephew makes this cake sometimes. I know it tastes great because I am always tempted to get a second slice.  
Variations: 
  • You can add cocoa powder to some of the batter if you want to make it a marble cake. 
  • You can also add raisins and/or pieces of walnuts to add more flavor to it. Enjoy!
 Ingredients:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1½ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup oil (I use olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil also)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
  • ½ cup walnut pieces (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift flour in a large bowl. Add baking powder and mix with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients with a whisk.
Add them to the flour/baking powder mixture, stirring with a spoon until it is smooth.
Grease a tube pan with butter or oil spray. If you want the plain version, pour cake mixture evenly into the pan. But, if you want to make it a marble cake, pour 2/3 of the batter into the tube. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining batter, pour into the tube. Sprinkle the nuts over the batter. Gently stir in the nuts with a spoon.
Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. About 45 minutes to1 hour.
Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit! 

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Yasemin Ari

I love cooking, especially cooking with friends and family.

I believe that some of the best conversations take place around the kitchen counter... [Read More]