Burek: A Meat-Filled Phyllo Pie
This Turkish-inspired Burek features a crispy phyllo crust filled with a flavorful spiced ground beef and vegetable mixture, all made effortlessly with a pressure cooker for tender juicy results.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or your favorite ground protein
- 1 onion diced small
- 1 russet potato peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes for a little heat
- 12 teaspoons spice blend cumin, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, and smoked paprika
- 1 cup spinach rough chopped
- 1 box phyllo dough thawed and ready to roll
- yogurt for coating, can use eggs or melted butter instead
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F so it’s ready to crisp up the phyllo when you’re done.
- Brown the ground beef in a big skillet over medium heat. Drain fat once it’s looking good and browned.
- Toss in your diced onion and potato. Let those cook till they soften, about 5 minutes should do it.
- Stir in the spices: red pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook another 2 minutes so those flavors blend nicely.
- Add the chopped spinach and cook just till it wilts. Then take everything off the heat and let it cool a bit.
- Lay your phyllo sheets on a clean spot and brush them lightly with oil or melted butter. Place some meat mix on one end and roll it tight into spirals.
- Put those spirals on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with a little more oil or butter and bake for 25-30 minutes till golden crisp.
- Let cool slightly before serving to avoid hot bites.
Notes
Cook the beef and veggies in your pressure cooker on sauté mode first to free up another pan. Use store-bought pre-chopped spinach to save knife work but fresh tastes best. Brush phyllo sheets quickly by working in stacks and covering unused sheets to keep from drying out.
Wrap leftovers tightly in foil or plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use airtight containers to keep phyllo crisp on reheats. Freeze spirals by flash freezing on a tray then transferring to a bag to keep shape intact. Reheat in a toaster oven or regular oven to preserve crisp crust.