This is a great way for the kids to enjoy pizza at school! My kids don’t like when I send them pizza as the cheese gets stuck to the foil and the toppings fall off….this is the perfect solution for that problem! Sorry I don’t have better pictures to share, made these in the early morning, had to get lunch ready and off to school;)…
Burek/Börek
Swiss Chard Burek
This is my first time using swiss chard, I had planted it in my garden just because I liked the way it looked! I didn’t even know if I would like it! It is something that grows well and looks nice in your garden! I noticed that the leaves were huge and ready for picking so I got my garden crocks on and went in there and cut them! Brought them in and thought…now what? What to make with it was the question of the day!
I rinsed the dirt off and started to chop them up as I would with any other greens. Had some filo dough in the fridge and had all the other ingredients needed so I thought hey why not! Swiss chard burek! I took a bite of it first though to make sure it wasn’t bitter and it wasn’t at all! Its a ‘sweet’ green! In fact this burek had to be the best tasting burek I have ever tried! Next year I will be planting a whole lot more Swiss chard in my garden!…
Stove Top Burek
Stove top burek, what an idea! An idea that actually worked out! I followed the method on how my mom makes lakror dough, its how the layers of dough become tender and flaky, instead of just rolling it out once. Since this was stove top all I needed was some feta and parsley, as spinach takes time to cook.
I cooked this in my cast iron pan on low heat. It came out delicious! My mom was surprised that it cooked so well on the stove top! My son who happens to be a picky eater and not a fan of lakror or burek…surprisingly (watch him beg for it when he is older;) loved it! He wanted more! So yes even your pickiest eater will enjoy this!…
Lakror
Lakror is Albanian style burek, that is taught by generation to generation and is filled with a variety of fillings. Popular fillings are, spinach and cheese, leek and cheese, ground meat and onion mixture, onion, tomato and pepper like the one in this recipe and more. The dough is a thicker filo closer to yufka depending on how thin you roll it. This dough is thin and flaky as there is no yeast added to it.
I hope you enjoy this tutorial, even if you don’t end up making it! It is a labour of love, takes time and effort and a second hand is always helpful. This is a special dish to me, I remember making it with my grandparents, and now my mom makes it with my girls and hopefully they will pass it on to their children <3
There are two methods of making lakror, one is to make little balls and roll them out individually buttering each layer and attaching them all and rolling into one big sheet, or the easy way… and that is the method I will be sharing with you.
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Spinach Burek with Gjize
This has got to be the best tasting burek I ever had! Homemade gjize makes such a big difference! Tastes just like my grandfathers burek! I never knew how to make homemade gjize, I knew how to make labne it’s pretty close except for one step which I will explain in the recipe. A friend of mine who makes homemade lakror with gjize taught me how to make it, so glad she did…thank you Voltisa!
The texture for gjize is like ricotta, but the taste is sour as its made from yogurt! You can add salt to it if you like at the end of cooking or leave as is and flavour later….
Cigar Burek
These are little bureks that are pan fried, made with ready made filo called yufka, they are shaped in triangles ready for rolling. You can find them at your local Mediterranean or Middle Eastern store.
The perfect finger food and appetizer. Simple to make and yummy to eat! Best served hot as cheese is nice and warm:)
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Beef and Potato Burek
The first time I tried this burek was when I got engaged, and went with my family to visit my husbands family. My mother in law made kiymali patatesli burek for us, and let me tell you it is my favourite burek of all time! She makes it the best! Mine comes in second place…but still very good 🙂
This is a yeast free dough, all you have to do is let it rest in a warm place. I like to add hot water in a large pot and put the bowl over and cover, the steam and heat helps it warm up fast.
If you want you can make this with ready dough like filo, or yufka that is a thicker filo dough….
Veggie and Cheese Pide
I love the combination of cheese and veggie in this pide! Its even better with roasted red peppers! You can make it with a variety of veggies, sometimes I add mushrooms and olives to the mix! Any veggie will do, the more the merrier! You can also make this with store bought flat bread, I get mine from a Middle Eastern Bakery, they work out perfect on those rushed days, you can also use pizza dough.
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Mini Spinach Kol Burek
Pide Dough
I took step by step photo’s of how to make pide dough, hope you enjoy the tutorial! …