DOUGH:
2 3/4 c Unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 ts Salt
2 tb Unsalted butter; very soft
1 Egg yolk
3/4 c Milk; +3 tb
GOAT CHEESE FILLING:
1 1/4 c Goat cheese; crumbled
1/2 c Flat-leaf parsley; chopped -OR-
Any combination of herbs
1 Egg
Oil for deep frying
Sift the flour and salt onto the work surface. Make a well in the
center and put in the butter, egg yolk, and milk. Mix these
ingredients with the fingers and gradually work in the flour to
make a dough. Knead 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, put in
a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead it lightly,
and divide into half. Roll each half into a tight ball, cover
with a slightly damp towel, and let rest 30 minutes.
Place one ball of dough on the lightly floured surface, flatten it
to a disk and with a regular rolling pin roll it into a 9-inch
circle, slowly rotating the dough counterclockwise. Then,
following the directions given below, roll the pastry into a thin
circle about 20 or 21 inches in diameter.
Sprinkle a little wheat starch or cornstarch on the work surface
both under and over the dough. With the special long rolling pin,
starting at the lower edge of the circle, wrap about 3 inches of
the pastry around the rolling pin. Place the stretched out fingers
of both hands on the center of the pin and begin rolling it slowly
forward toward the edge of the circle with a quick
back-and-forward motion, until the whole pastry is wrapped fairly
tightly around the pin.
As you roll the pastry around the pin, keep your stretched out
hands constantly and rhythmically moving horizontally outward
along the pin toward the ends, and quickly bringing them back to
the center to begin the same motion again until the whole pastry
is wrapped around the pin. As you do this, the downward pressure
of the fingers and balls of the hands stretches the pastry
horizontally.
Once the whole pastry is wrapped around the pin, lift the pin at
both ends and flip open the pastry, slapping it against the work
surface; unroll. Now rotate the pastry slightly (maybe 30 degrees)
counterclockwise, sprinkle it with a little flour, then take an
edge of the pastry next to the one with which you started, and
repeat the whole process. Every now and then turn the pastry over
and sprinkle some flour under it. Continue stretching the pastry
by rolling until it is a thin circle of pastry 20 or 21 inches in
diameter, and at least 1/25 inch thick. (If you use a pasta
machine, you will need to divide the pastry into smaller portions
in order to roll it.)
Mix all filling ingredients with a fork to blend. With a 4- inch
pastry cutter, cut circles out of the rolled pastry. Put about
3/4 teaspoon filling on half of each circle and fold the other
half over the filling to cover. Dampen the edges and seal,
pressing them together gently or using a pastry crimper. Cover the
filled pastries with a towel and roll out and shape the other half
of the dough.
Heat the oil for deep frying and slip in 2 or 3 boerek. In a
second or two they will puff up and rise to the surface. Turn and
remove after a few seconds when they turn golden brown. Drain on
paper towels and serve hot. They are also good cold.
From: CLASSICAL TURKISH COOKING by Ayla Algar
From: Karin Brewer Date: 14 May 99
