Pastries and dough-based dishes
This budget-friendly borek replaces some of the ground meat with cooked bulgur. The bulgur absorbs the fat and juices from the meat, keeping the filling together and making twice as many rolls with the same amount of meat. Cook the bulgur first: uncooked bulgur absorbs moisture from the phyllo in the oven and dries out the borek, while cooked bulgur retains its own moisture.
Cover the bulgur with boiling water by about a finger-width, cover the pot, and let stand for 13 minutes. Press a grain between your fingers: it should be soft but not falling apart. Drain any excess water; it will make the filling too loose.
Finely chop the onion and sauté it in oil until lightly golden. Add the ground beef and cook for 7 minutes, until it releases and reabsorbs its liquid. Add the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor. At this point, the beef’s internal temperature should exceed 71°C / 160°F and no pink should remain in the center; if it is still pink, cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the cooked bulgur to the ground beef mixture and cook together for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the spices, and spread on a large plate to cool.
Cut the phyllo sheets in half. Place a strip of filling along the wide edge and roll toward the narrow edge. Arrange the rolls seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet.
Whisk the milk and oil together and pour over the rolls. Bake in an oven preheated to 190°C / 375°F for 40 minutes. They are ready when the tops are deep golden and no sauce pools at the bottom when you tilt the pan.
After combining the cooked bulgur and browned ground beef, let the filling cool completely before wrapping it in phyllo; this time is not included in the recipe time.
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