Borek

Main:
454 gr (1 lb) Phyllo Pastry
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
3L (13x9x2") Pyrex casserole dish

For this recipe, choose one of the following fillings:

Spinach Filling (pictured above):
1 pkg (300 gr) frozen chopped spinach, thaw and squeeze it with your hands to get rid of excess water.
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Beef Filling:
250 gr medium ground beef
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small cubanelle pepper, chopped
Salt
Black pepper

For Spinach Filling: 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, stir.

For Beef Filling: Put the salt, black pepper, ground beef and onion in a pan. Cook on medium heat until the beef is done. Add the tomatoes and the pepper. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Put aside.

Now we can move on to the main ingredients. 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 (picture). Take another two sheets of pastry, fold in half, and stack in the dish. (picture). Then, spread all of your main filling onto the stack (picture). 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 (picture).

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 175 C (350 F). Bake until golden brown (picture).

This recipe goes well with cherries by the side or Ayran. You can have it as a main dish (4 servings) or with afternoon tea as a snack.

*Ottoman Kitchen