Puff Borek

TURKISH VEGETARIAN COOKING

TURKISH PASTRIES (Börekler)

PUFF BOREK (Puf Böreği)

3 cups flour
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon oil (for dough)
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons butter (for dough)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil (to fry)

Filling: 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 egg (beaten)

Directions to make dough into sheets:

Make a well of the flour in a large bowl, add salt, water, egg yolk and I tablespoon oil and make a soft dough. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Using a floured board roll out this dough with a rolling pin. When it is 10 inches in size, take a thin rolling pin (an inch wide) and keep rolling the dough until it's about 25 inches in diameter. The use of the 1 inch rolling pin is required for a thin sheet (1/10 th of an inch). To do this sprinkle flour over the flattened dough and wrap one end of the on the rolling pin and roll all of it pressing over and then open it, then turn the dough around and repeat the rolling pin and roll all of it pressing over and then open it, then turn the dough around and repeat the same action from different angles in order to it to be flattened out evenly. Now melt one tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and when it's hot and melted but not browned take it off the burner and add the second tablespoon of butter and melt it by pressing it down in the hot melted butter not on the fire. Then spread this butter evenly on the wide circle of dough and cut it into four wedges, then place one on top of the other and place it in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Make a ball of the buttered dough an divide this into two smaller balls. Place first one then the other on a floured board and roll it out about 25 inches in as many as you can 4 inch wide circles with a cutter and place a teaspoon of the filling and fold over to make a half moon and press end with wet fingers. When all the dough is flattened and cut out and filled, heat 1 cup of oil (any vegetable oil will do) and when it is hot fry the half moons three or four at a time (depending on the size of the pan) until both sides are golden and it is nicely puffed. Serve hot.

Makes about two dozen.