Turkish cigarette börek with minced meat - Kıymalı Sigara Böregi

Before bringing my newest Turkish recipe, I would like to introduce the world of börek to everyone. 

Börek

The origin of börek as many other traditional Turkish dishes goes back to the Ottoman Empire. Whithersoever the ottomans wandered and settled, the local people still prepares their foods during the centuries, moreover the Turkish kitchen gave inspiration to new dishes as well. The pastry-based dishes are dominant in our days too, exceptionally various and numerous of cooking techniques exist.  

We can follow easily the way of Turks in the history, when we see where börek or similar foods are eaten today as well. The word börek comes from the Turkish word "börbör" which means cover and wrap and is still very common from the Caucasus to the Balkans. Although the West cuisins have many fantastic baked goods and pastry dishes, we can rarely find anything  resembling börek.

By Ottoman sources especially in the 15th and 16th centuries the diversification of börek started,  since  many new recipes origins from this period.

Traditionally it's made in large oven pan and after baking cut into smaller portions. The börek prepared and served in big pans was an important entartaining element of the Ottoman holidays. Contrarily nowadays it's prepared in smaller portions. One of the specialities of börek is that its top is sprinkled with sesam seeds. The börek (which is known by many as burek) is a baked or fried filled pastry, made of very thin, flaky dough, which notorious name is yufka dough. In these days it's filled with cheese, mainly with feta, beyaz peynir (special Turkish white cheese - salty white cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk - or with kaşar - a medium-hard pale yellow cheese, unpasteurized sheep milk mixed with a little goat milk). Besides the cheesy filling the börek filled with minced meat and vegetables are also very popular. 

By the known Ottoman sources the börek's sweet version was very famous and beloved by all in the old times but in our days rather the salty börek is common.  

Turkish cigarette börek with minced meat, a.k.a Kıymalı Sigara Böreği

Okay I own that its name is not hanging together with its looks, this doesn't look as the real sigara böreği but at the breakfast place Simit in Istanbul it's sold like this and its taste compensate for the vision. :)

Ingredients:
1 package yufka dough (in default of it: phyllo dough)
1 egg
2 tablespoon yoghurt
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoon sesame seeds (this time I used lenseeds)

For the filling:
40 dkg minced meat
1 small onion
2 garlic gloves
1 coffee spoon cinnamon
3 teaspoon oregano
1/2 banch of parsley
salt, pepper by taste
olive oil

1. For the filling chop the onion, garlic, parsley. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and simmer the onion then add the minced garlic, the minced meat. After simmering for a few minutes, season with the spices, the cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper. When the filling is ready, set aside and let it cool for a while.

2. In a smaller bowl mix the yoghurt, egg and olive oil. We will use this mixture for greasing the phyllo doughs.

3. For filling the börek, take a sheet of phyllo dough in front of you on a clean surface with the longer side facing you. The left side of the dough grease with the eggy mixture, then lift the right side on left part. Brush also its top with the egg mixture then take 2-3 tablespoon filling and place it 2 cm from the  nearest edge of the dough, 1-1 cm from the both other sides. Fold in each side of the long sides by 1 cm. Fold the closest edge on the meat and keep rolling away from you to form a cigarette shapeed roll.

4. Place the rolled-up böreks on a baking paper-lined oven pan. Before baking, grease all with some eggy mixture and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Bake them in the 180°C preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until goldenbrown.

The best is when it's lukewarm but on the following day it can be a perfect breakfast....if some is left :)

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Menemen

Menemen is one of the most popular breakfast dish in the Turkish cuisine, it's the mix of tomatos, peppers, eggs and onion, similar to the Hungarian lecsó (thick vegetable stew which also features peppers, tomato, onion, paprika), the French ratatouille Traditionally it is eaten for breakfast, served with bread but you can eat any time of the day for instance for lunch or a light dinner. 

Menemen has also many variation, sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage) or pastırma (dried cured beef) can be added.

I learned this menemen recipe from our Turkish friend, during our stay in Istanbul. One day we cooked dinner at home, called over M.'s brother also. It's one of my favorite Turkish food, easy, simple, perfect!

Ingredients (for 2 persons):

4 green pepper

4 bigger tomato

2 eggs

1 big onion

3 cloves of garlic

salt, pepper, sweet (or hot) paprika, thyme

olive oil

parsley

Wash, chop the pepper and tomato, peel and chop the onion and garlic. 

Place the olive oil and onion in a large pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the onion is glassy then add the pepper. Simmer it with the onion on medium-low heat then add the garlic, tomato, about 1 dl water and the spices.

Cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the eggs in another bowl and pour into the pan. Stir it constantly until the eggs are done.

Serve with fresh bread.

Our Turkish friend's menemen

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Simit

Simit, one of the most popular street food in Turkey is a circular shaped bread with sesame seeds, often eaten plain or with jam or joghurt for breakfast and commonly is sold by vendors along streets (almost every corner of the city, especially in Istanbul) who sell it from their trolleys or from their trays what they carry on their heads.

  

You can meet many different types of simit, all which are at least as tasty as the famous Istanbul version. The rich variety is sometimes due to different ingredients, sometimes due to the baking technique and sometimes due just to a special shape.

In Turkish culture people generally drink tea with simit, some prefer it with ayran as well. 

My favorite and most popular simit - breakfast place is Simit Sarayı ın Turkey. Simit Sarayı (means: Simit Palace) is a fast food restaurant where many kind of simit products, pastry and baked gooda are sold freshly all day long. For instance plain simit, simit with cheese, tomato, olives, sucuk (Turkish spıcy sausage), börek, açma, poğaça, wraps, pita bread sandwiches and of course sweet products also such as baklava, sütlaç (Turkish rice pudding), muffins and other cakes.

Simitçi in Istanbul

I love reading Elif's blog since his husband also comes from Kayseri as M. Yesterday she was a big help for me when I decided to bake simit.

These cute simits will be my and my colleagues' breakfast today.

Ingredients (6 pieces):
50 dkg flour
1/2 package dry yeast (3,5 g) or 1/4 package fresh yeast (1,25 dkg)
0,25 dl milk
1/2 teaspoon sugar
0,25 dl oil
2 dl water
2 teaspoon salt

+ pekmez (It's available in every Turkish supermarket. If you don't have at home you can use water also as I did yesterday.)
+ sesame seeds (yesterday I used linseed)

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk and let stand about 10 minutes in a warm place until frothy.

In a big bowl mix the flour, salt, oil and add the yeast mix. Start to knead adding water constantly to it. Knead at least 15 minutes by hand (or hand mixer) until the dough is very smooth and springy. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Split each pieces in two, roll each of these small balls into a 35-40 cm long rope. Lay the two ropes next to each other on the counter. Press their upper ends then braid them carefully and form this braided rope into ring.

Preheat the oven to 250°C.

Put water in a smaller plate, sesame seeds in another one. Dip each simit rings first in the water then in the sesame seeds. Lay the ready simits on a baking paper.

Bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until rich golden brown.

The best is eating simit freshly, immediately taking out from the oven but you can also put in the freezer and when you wanna eat fresh simit again you just need to take out from the freezer and warm it up in the oven within a few minutes.

Afiyet olsun!

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