1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
6 phyllo sheets, 12x17 ea
1 lemon wedges for serving
Directions
When the fast of Ramadhan is broken in the early evening hours,
various dishes are considered a traditional part of the meal. This is
one of those dishes.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet, add the onion and
stir-fry over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef, salt and
pepper and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the egg and parsley and fry
for 1 minute more. Cool well.
2. Take 1 phyllo sheet and spread it out flat with a short end
nearest you. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture 2 inches
in from the short edge. Fold both long sides in toward the middle,
beginning with the short end roll the phyllo to shape a packet 4
inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Repeat with all the remaining
phyllo sheets and stuffing. Set aside.
3. Put the balance of the oil in a skillet over moderate/low heat and
add the rolls. Brown on both sides for about 3 minutes; the low heat
prevents the very thin pastry sheets from burning. Drain the rolls on
paper towels for a minute.
Serve warm with a squeeze of lemon juice. Makes 6.
Source: "The Great Book of Couscous" by Copeland Marks
Servings: 6 servings
Bourek (Beef-Stuffed Pastry Rolls) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beef; Bread; Breads; Dessert; Meat
The History of Recipes
Transcribed cooking instructions as an idea can be found way back into distant history, in truth as far back into recorded history as ancient Egypt, and potentially, even further back. Having said that, these, early records were just very basic hieroglyphic recipes for meal preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to food historians are a few clay tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a few documents which described recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. He recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. He also recounts how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of many herbs and spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens such as thyme, rue and dill. Later on in the 1400s, the Crusaders brought back many new foods and herbs from Arab cooking, including coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes caused an explosion in recipe books, many of which still exist in private libraries. For the next few years, the wealthy families of the West tried to offer the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their collection of recipes were at a premium. However, it wasn`t until the 19th century that cookery and recipe collections really came of age. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to collating, verifying, and recording recipes for their fellow cooks to enjoy. By the advent of the twentieth century, cooking books were starting to become popular mostly as a result of more people being able to read, people having more spare time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Bourek (Beef Stuffed Pastry Rolls) recipe.
