Börek is a Turkmen version of dumplings. Dough is filled with ground meat and boiled in water. This version gives out more flavor because of the soup base. Its a perfect first course for a fancy holiday feast.
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion
- ½ green bell pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne
Dough:
- 3 cups of flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 ¼ cup of warm water
- 1 egg yolk
Soup:
- 2 tablespoon of oil
- ½ onion –finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper – finely diced
- ½ carrot – chopped
- ½ can of chopped tomatoes
- 3 cups of low sodium chicken stock
- 4 cups of water
- 1 bay leaf
- ¾ tsp salt
Directions:
For the filling: In the food processor, chop the onion and bell peppers. Mix this with ground meat, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper; set aside.
Dough: In the standing mixer, make the dough using the hook attachment at ‘stir’ speed. When the dough is done, cover with plastic bag and set aside.
Soup: In a pot heat the oil, sauté onions and bell peppers for couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and carrots; sauté for few more minutes. Add the stock, water and salt, bring to boil. Lower the heat let the soup simmer while you make the dumplings.
Dumplings: Divide the dough into six small parts. Roll out 2 pieces at a time. The dough should be slightly larger than the mold. Put the first layer over the mold, fill each piece with meat mixture. Cover with the second rolled dough and roll over with rolling pin. Remove excess dough, and pull out the pieces. The dough and the meat should make 3 mold pans. After all the dumplings are made, bring the soup to a steady boil over medium high heat. Add the dumplings and bay leaf to the soup, do not adjust the heat. Let the soup come to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes. Serve hot with yogurt and dill and parsley for garnish.
