Turkish Persinette Cress Sigara Borek with Melissa Cress Pearls & Chilli Cress Dip

Borek:

• 6 sheets filo pastry, cut in half to make A5 rectangles
• 100g skin-on hazelnuts
• 1 punnet Melissa Cress
• Sunflower/vegetable oil for frying

Cheese Pearls :

• 250g Turkish white cheese
• 2 punnets Persinette® Cress

Chilli Cress Dip:

• 150g full fat Turkish yoghurt
• 1 punnet Chilli Cress
• Rapeseed Oil

Chill Cress Dip:

• Put the Chilli Cress in a little rapeseed oil and allow to infuse while you prepare the other ingredients. You can also do this overnight.
• Make the yoghurt dip: mix together some of the Chilli Cress and its oil with the yoghurt so it has loosened the yoghurt but not made it runny or too oily. Refrigerate until needed.

Cheese Pearls:

• Mash the cheese down with your hands and mix in the Melissa Cress, kneading well to bring together. Shape into tiny balls, the size of a small marble. Refrigerate until needed.

Borek:

• Blitz the hazelnuts with the Persinette® Cress in a grinder to a coarse texture. Lay out the filo sheets, keeping covered while using. Make a small rectangle the size of an A5 sheet. Lay a line of hazelnut crumb at the bottom end, nearest to you, leaving.

Cooking: 

• Heat some oil in a frying pan to 180°C, enough to deep fry the boreks, and fry them in batches till golden brown. Be careful, they will cook very quickly.

Plating:

• Assemble your plate: place a dollop of yoghurt on the bottom, arrange some pearls around, a few hazelnuts, heap your desired number of boreks on top and finish with more Persinette and Chilli Cress.

Tip: Use other nuts too for the borek such as walnuts or pistachios and mix in a little dried fruit like apricots or currants

Recipe: Hulya Erdal
Source: Staff Canteen