Lamb and Pork Borek with California Prunes
Recipe by: @cookwithemilia
Servings: 5-6
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Ingredients
Lamb Filling
- 600 grams ground lamb
- 1 onion (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander, cinnamon, and paprika
- ½ tsp all spice
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1-¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chopped California Prunes
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup tomato passata
- ¼ cup water
Yogurt Wash for Phyllo
- 1 egg
- ½ cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp melted butter (cooled)
Pastry
- 12 sheets phyllo pastry
- 2 tbsp melted butter (cooled)
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
Directions
- Begin with your lamb filling by heating oil on high heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes so the onions can soften.
- Add the ground lamb to the pan and using a spoon or spatula, break up the ground lamb. Cook the lamb until almost every piece is fully brown, then once you only see a small amount of pink left, add in all the spices and cook the lamb for an additional minute.
- Add the tomato passata, water and chopped California Prunes, mix. Add in the pine nuts and bring to a simmer. Once it has begun to simmer, turn heat down to medium low and cook the meat mixture for around 10-12 minutes or until liquid has reduced. It should be moist, not watery.
- Remove the pan onto another area of the stove without heat and let cool for 20 minutes.
- While the meat is cooling, make your yogurt wash by simply whisking all ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
- Now it is time to make the borek.
- Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F.
- Begin opening your package of phyllo pastry. Remember to be very delicate as this can break easily. Place one sheet of phyllo pastry onto parchment paper. Brush, but do not saturate the sheet, with the yogurt wash, and then place another sheet of phyllo on top. Repeat 3 more times. (Note*: do not put yogurt wash on the 4th sheet of phyllo).
- Fill and roll. Place ⅓ of the cooled lamb filling along the bottom edge of the phyllo in a straight line. Carefully, roll up the sheets into a log. Now repeat these steps to make 3 logs in total.
- Create the spiral. To make the spiral, take one log and place it on a piece of parchment paper and coil it gently into a spiral. Take a second log by the end of the first one and continue to extend the spiral. Here you can use the yogurt wash as a binding agent between these steps. Continue this step with the last log.
- Gently place the now formed borek on a baking sheet and brush the top with melted butter and sesame seeds.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
- Remove from the oven and then cut wedges like a pie and enjoy!
