Burek (Algerian Beef Rolls)

Hi everyone, I had a very busy weekend. I missed writing! I have a lot to share with you, but let’s start with a recipe.

First, let me share with you this quote: “You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.”

True! I don’t have 20th century Baroque Silver-Plated Flatware, but you can eat my food using a plastic fork and it will taste so good! Maybe add a little bit of salt!

Cooking is my passion! I can listen to music and dance around my kitchen as I prepare dinner. I love to provide my family and friends with some delicious food. My family came over for dinner this Saturday, and I cooked a lot of food! 👩🏻‍🍳

A history of Burek or Börek:

There are plenty of theories. Among the most common is that it derived from the Byzantine plakous – a type of flat cake, descended from the Roman placenta, consisting of two sheets of pastry, stuffed with honey and cheese or chopped nuts. But recent ethnographic research suggests that it is more likely to have been invented by the nomadic Turks of Central Asia at some point before the seventh century. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-borek

And since I am from Algeria, a vassal state of Ottoman Empire for 300 years, we adopted from them some traditions.

Burek is a delicious Algerian starter. It is usually served with soup, salad, and another entree.

Ingredients:

• One dozen of dioul or spring roll wrappers
• 350g of minced beef or lamb
• 1 white or brown onion (sliced)
• 1 bouquet of Italian parsley (chopped)
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• Black pepper
• oil
• Lemon

How to?

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet pan.
2. Gently sauté the onion for around 5 minutes until it softens and turns brown.
3. Add the chopped parsley and stir well with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the minced meat, the salt and the black pepper.
5. Continue to stir until the meat is cooked.
6. In a bowl, whisk the 2 eggs and add it into the skillet pan.
7. Stir all the ingredients together until the eggs are cooked.
8. Remove the skillet pan from the heat and pour the mixture in a colander (to let the excess water drain).
9. Separate each sheet of dioul.
10. Lay one sheet of dioul on a clean surface.
11. Put around 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mixture in the lower center of the sheet. Add la Vache qui rit cheese.
12. Fold the two sides of the sheet to the center.
13. Start to roll the sheet of dioul.
14. Proceed the same way for the rest of the dioulsheets.
15. In a large nonstick pan, heat the oil on medium heat.
16. Fry the bourek 4 by 4.
17. Fry both sides until golden brown.
18. Drain the Bourek on a paper towel (to remove excess oil)
19. Serve hot with the soup.

For a better taste drizzle with some lemon!

شهية طيبة! 🍽