Turkish-Style Lamb Boreks Recipe (2024)

You can use mashed potatoes instead. I am Turkish and that is a very common substitute.
Or use a mixture of cooked green lentils and potatoes - this one makes the texture similar to meat as well.

The article should have given more info about working with phyllo. You need a slightly damp dish towel large enough to cover the phyllo sheets once you open the package. You keep them covered with the towel until you are ready to use a sheet, then immediately re-cover the remainder to keep them from drying out. Once you get the hang of doing that, it's a lot easier and less stressful.

For a vegetarian option, brown 1/2 chopped onion and 1 clove garlic, add 1 pkg (or one bunch) chopped spinach and saute until fairly dry. Let cool and then mix in ricotta cheese to taste. Add some toasted pine nuts. Use to fill boreks.

The Guardian has a recipe for a mushroom and artichoke Moroccan m'hencha, which is similar but vegetarian. It was absolutely delicious.

The filling for this is phenomenal. The only change I made was to bake it in a 9" pie plate. Butter the dish well and layer with several sheets of phyllo in the bottom draped over the sides. I followed another recipe that combined 1 cup of milk, 1/3 cup light oil and 1 egg to coat the phyllo layers. The creamy filling goes in the bottom and then the meat layer with the draped sides folded over the top. Bake at 400* for 10 minutes and then at 375* for 25 minutes. Turned out beautifully.

What would you suggest as a vegetarian option to replace the lamb?

Can we get a video of this: I've no practice with phyllo dough.

Nigella seeds are also called Kalonji or Charnuska seeds, and they're all the same. They're readily available from Indian and Middle Eastern food stores. Penzy's has them, but their price is outrageous. They'll keep forever if stored in the freezer. The flavor is subtle and unique and adds a lot to the dish.

These were amazing. My partner, who is Palestinian, couldn't get enough. We both noted how authentic the flavors were and identical to some of the dishes that his family makes. I also made a spinach and feta borek. I sautéed chopped onion, then cooked down 20oz fresh baby spinach with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Drained out all the moisture, first by using a colander, then by wringing it in a kitchen towel. I added 4 oz feta to spinach then rolled the boreks in the same sigara fashion.

Could these be prepared ahead and frozen?

I wonder if a potato dosa filling would be good? Curried potatoes, sauteed onions and maybe some peas?

Not clear on what all the work was. Made all eight in under an hour plus baking.

This was as good as it looks.. My change was increasing the phyllo sheets to three rather that two, it was easier to work with and you get better coverage. I also suggest increasing the oven heat to 375 or 400 degrees. I felt it wasn't crispy enough and took too long to brown even with the egg wash. I will definitely do it again, my grandkids loved them.

Great recipe. Used 2 Tbsp of pomegranate molasses instead of one. And, as others have noted, more cheese! I spread the cheese/yogurt filling as thinly as I could and have enough for 7 rolls. That left a fair bit of extra meat, but don't worry--it'll be a nice lunch, with some rice or pita. (I don't usually try to save the phyllo dough.)

Up the cinnamon and Sumac

Loved the lamb mixture. Couldn’t find golden raisins (which is a shame, I love them!) so I substituted those with chopped Turkish apricots. My brain broke with filo instructions, so I made them into the still traditional pinwheel shape. Dusted the tops with sesame and cumin seeds.

The only change I made was subbing in dried sour cherries for the raisins. My entire family went nuts for them. So worth the time.

As others have suggested, I made one big borek. I used a 9” cast iron frying pan lined with a few sheets of phyllo. Put the meat mixture on the bottom, top with the cheese mixture, add a few more sheets of phyllo and crimp around edges. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Didn't know that phyllo dough (or pastry dough for that matter) was in the frozen section so I used crescent rolls and brought them over uncooked to my partner's apartment. Still a huge hit, the filling really brings a lot of brightness to the dish. Next time I may even squeeze some lemon or chop some cilantro to go on top.

I used beyond burger instead of lamb and it was terrific!

I can’t get phyllo pastry here in Japan. Would be okay to use puff pastry?? Well, I’m going to try it with puff pastry. I know it’s different but it’s the best I can do.

I made this for my Turkish brother-in-law and he LOVED the meat filling. My problem was the phyllo dough: My boreks came out heavy and flat, not light and flaky. Next time I make this I will fill miniature phyllo pastry cups with the meat and heat them and serve the yogurt mixture on the side as an optional topping.

Mine were delicious, but a bit soggy. I did increase the cheese mixture but I don’t think that would account for the sogginess. Any suggestions?

I used brik pastry and made 9 of these before running out of the cheese mixture. I had 2 c. of leftover lamb mixture. Very delicious. I’ll make more cheese mixture next time and use a very rounded 1/4 c of lamb in each borek.

I used the filling recipe exactly, and instead of making small pastries I draped about 10 phyllo sheets (buttering with clarified butter after each layer) in a 9" springform pan with overhang. I then layered all the cheese filling on the bottom, followed by the meat on top. I topped it with 3 more layers of phyllo and rolled up the edges to loosely seal, and baked at 350 for minutes. I could only bear to let it cool for ~15 minutes after baking before we unmolded it an cut into it. Fantastic!

Excellent outcome making recipe as written. Has been a while since I worked with phyllo but fun to for creating the 'cigar' shape. Since phyllo is something we don't often use and since the lamb and cheese fillings were so delicious in this combo we're starting to experiment with using them on flatbreads, inside pita, as savory bun fillings and so on.

This is fantastic. I didn’t have enough phyllo and I was only cooking for two, so made three of these and used the leftovers in stuffed peppers the following night mixed with some couscous with cheese sauce on top. Both were absolutely delicious. I will make these again and again and I suggest same for you. Yes to extra cheese sauce. Also my third I doubled up the meat and that was super yummy and fat, too.

Used zataar for sumac. Tortillas. Red bell pepper. Top with marinara sauce.

Excellent recipe--have already made it a few times. Two thoughts. For a main course, I double the amount of both fillings, makes it more substantial. For anyone who can get into NYC, get fresh phyllo at Poseidon Bakery--tin hole in the wall on Ninth Ave. in Hells' Kitchen. A noticeable taste enhancement over frozen and so easy to work with.