Hail, Yufka! (Or, Istanbul Part 1)

On a recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey to visit friends, I was, as happens upon every visit, astounded by the breadth and depth that is Turkish cuisine. I discover a new culinary obsession with each trip, and there really is something to please every corner of every palate. The fruits and vegetables of the spring and summer are alternately crisp, floral, and gushing juice. The yesil erik, green plums that have sour skins and sweet flesh, were just on the cusp of coming into season, but the tomatoes—oh, the tomatoes! More on those later.

It was my good fortune that this week coincided with the Istanbul Tulip Festival—Istanbul’da lale zamani—which ran the 12-19 of April and meant that the entire city was in bloom. The Istanbul municipality planted tulips of every imaginable variety in every available square foot of grass. In my opinion, the best place to appreciate the Turkish provenance of the tulip is at Emirgan Park, in Sariyer, which is just a short bus ride up the coastal road from Besiktas or Ortakoy. Seas of tulips surrounded three Ottoman pavilions and a central pond.

The winding paths of the park, pitched at rather halting vertical heights, were not for the weak at heart or the arthritic, and it was, perhaps, in spite of and thanks to a delicious breakfast at Kale (KAH-leh) that I kept pace with the men and women who were more than twice my age.

Kale is a little gem of a kavalti (breakfast) cafe and pastane (patisserie), and thanks to my savvy Istanbulites, it has now made the short list. I went for the classic spread of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, beyaz peynir (white cheese, similar to feta) and kasar (mild white cheese) served with olives, honey, butter, and fresh baked bread. As if this was not enough to whet my appetite for a day of meandering the hills leading up from the Bosphorus, I also sprung for sigara börek—not entirely breakfast fare—and I’m glad I did. Sigara börek takes its name, unsurprisingly, from the stout, cigarette-like shape that is formed when the yufka (a thicker version of phyllo) is stuffed with sweet or savoury mixtures, rolled, and fried in oil. The traditional fillings are either meat or cheese-based with variations on the fresh herbs, seasonings, and, sometimes, nuts, used, and is usually eaten as a meze or as a snack with tea. Nearly every culinary culture has a version of dough that is stuffed and rolled with filling, then either baked or fried, and this is Turkey’s heavenly contribution. Yufka, I’m convinced, was conceived of by a gluten god, and Kale's homemade version was particularly good. Unfortunately, I was too concerned with eating to be bothered with documenting the delicate, flaky, golden and aromatic specimens, but I can tell you that the inner layers of yufka were perfectly chewy, the outer ones light-as-a-feather, and the perfectly-spiced meat/garlic/herb mixture was bursting with flavour rather than dripping grease--not an easy balance to achieve. Instead, behold above the in-house rolls, some studded with olives, others with chocolate.

Turkish breakfast is, for me, the perfect combination of savoury and sweet. Lighter than an American or British fry-up (which, of course, also have their well-deserved place, particularly after a late night out), the simplified balance of flavours from produce that is unaltered and which serves as prime examples of the best Turkey has to offer can only mean success: the sweet süzme çam bali (pine honey) in combination with the cheese, and, in my case, the savoury sigara börek, all countered by the clean crunch of cucumber, perfect tomatoes, and a strong tea is always a blissful way to start the day. Now, don't get me started on the bal kaymak (milk fats that form into something like clotted cream, served on a pool of honey)...

I brought back some yufka to Oxford (a kilo, to be exact), and I was more or less successful with this adapted version. The recipe follows below.

Kale Cafe can be found in the Rumelihisari neighbourhood, adjacent to the Ottoman fortress of the same name:

Yahya Kemal cadessi
No. 16 Rumelihisari
Istanbul
Tel. 0212 265 0097
www.kalecafe.com

Sigara Börek

Yield: about 24 (enough for a crowd), depending on how much filling is used in each
Time: 1 hour
This blog has great photos for preparing the yufka.

Yufka (or phyllo, in a pinch) comes in either circular or rectangular sheets. These sheets should be cut into triangles (this is best achieved by cutting each sheet in half, folding, cutting in half again, and so on...the triangles should be about 6 inches across). Work quickly and keep a damp towel over resting sheets.

For meat filling:

Olive oil
1.5 lbs. lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely minced
1 Tbs. cinnamon
2 Tbs. dried mint
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. sumac*
2-3 tsp. (to taste) Turkish red pepper (pul biber)*, or chili flakes
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 of 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced

*Can usually be found at specialty food markets; substitute a good squeeze of lemon for the sumac

For cheese filling:

16 oz (2 8-oz containers) feta cheese
Reserved flat-leaf parsley (1/2 of a large bunch), minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
Squeeze of lemon (approx. 1 tsp.) (optional)
Cracked black pepper to taste

Water
Sunflower oil (or peanut oil, or vegetable oil--an oil with a high burn point)

For the cheese filling, simply mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Brown the ground beef in a large sauté pan with 3 Tbs. of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. As the meat begins to brown, add the rest of the filling ingredients, except the garlic and parsley. When the meat is completely browned and the onions translucent, add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Check the filling for seasoning and add the chopped parsley.

While the meat filling cools for a bit, clear a work space to fill the yufka. Fill a small dish with water and begin laying out triangles of yufka. Remember to keep those sheets not in use under a damp towel! Place a small amount of filling one inch from the edge of each triangle, and fold in the corners. Roll the end with the filling towards the point of the triangle, folding in the edges as you go and wet the point with water to seal.

Once all of the börek are made, heat enough sunflower oil to coat a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. In batches, lightly fry each börek until golden, adding oil as needed. Don’t walk away, as they burn quite quickly.

Serve warm as a snack, appetizer, or with next week’s tomato salad recipe!