Kiymali Borek – Turkish Filo Pastry Minced Beef Pie

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Lightly spiced, tender minced beef layered between filo pastry with yoghurt, egg and oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds and cooked until golden and crispy on the top. This quick and simple pie has been a revelation, so quick and easy to make, yet so tasty. Delicious served hot, warm or at room temperature, it works well with a variety of sides. I served it with a medley of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food: Turkish rice with parsley, tabbouli, tzatziki and roast Mediterranean vegetables with roast feta and fresh basil. Simply scrumptious!

This was a new dish to me until recently. I had 400g of minced beef in the fridge, which needed using up, but I didn’t fancy the usual suspects –  Ragù, Chilli con Carne, burgers, Shepherds Pie etc. I wanted something more summery and was inspired by recipes I had seen on Tara’s Multicultural Table, Borderless Culinary and Ozlem’s Turkish Table. It makes such a delicious supper and Charlotte said it works equally well for lunch at work the next day. It loses a bit of the crispiness, but is delicious nevertheless.

How to make Kiymali Borek

Collect all your ingredients together:

For the minced beef filling:

• olive oil
• minced beef
• large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• fine salt
• paprika
• cumin powder
• freshly ground black pepper
• fresh parsley, chopped

You will also need:

• natural yoghurt
• olive oil
• large egg
• filo pastry – you need 6 sheets measuring around 45cms/18in x 30cms/12in
• sesame seeds

First make the meat filling:

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. I do this in the food processor but you can do it by hand. Heat the olive oil over a moderate heat and add the finely chopped onion. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onion is soft and slightly caramelised.
2. Finely crush the garlic and add the onion. Stir well to mix on and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the minced beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, over a moderate heat until lightly browned. This should take around 5 minutes.
4. Add the parsley, seasoning and spices and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes, take off the heat and set aside.

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Make the Kiymali Borek:

1. Thoroughly mix the yoghurt, olive oil and the egg.
2. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking tray measuring roughly 35cms/14in x 25cms/10in and, using a pastry brush, ensure even coverage on the tray. Lay out the filo sheets and cover with a damp cloth to ensure they do not dry out.
3. Lay 1 piece of filo on the baking tray and brush with around ¼ cup/4 tablespoons of the yoghurt and oil mixture.
4. Top with another sheet of filo and brush with more of the yoghurt oil mixture.
5. Repeat one more time so you have 3 layers of pastry and oil/yoghurt mixture.
6. Tip the cooked minced beef onto the pastry and spread evenly over the surface.
7. Top with pastry and yoghurt/oil 2 more times.
8. Add the final layer of pastry, brush with the majority of the remaining oil/yoghurt mix and then fold over any pastry hanging over the edge. Use the remaining oil mixture to brush over.
9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
10. Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 – 35 minutes until the pie is hot, golden brown and crispy on the surface.
11. I served it with a medley of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food: Turkish rice with parsley, tabbouli, tzatziki, roast Mediterranean vegetables with roast feta and fresh basil. Simply scrumptious!

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Made this recipe?

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