Meat stuffed Puff Pastry, Burekas

Puff pastry can be a blessing when you need to do something quick and simple, especially when you have unexpected guest around or especially when you have teenagers.

Do you live around the phrase - mom I'm hungry? (but you just ate!) Yep, I'm just getting into that phase now..!

These are great to have around. Now I know why my mom always had these in the freezer all the times..!

Makes 12 puff pastries 

Ingredients

Puff Pastry - One sheet
300 grams Mince meat  (Beef, Turkey or Chicken thighs)
1 tbsp Canola oil
1/2 small onion chopped fine
1 small garlic minced
1/4 inch piece ginger minced
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Paprika
2 tbsp Chopped Cilantro or parsley
1 tbsp Lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 beaten egg


Method:

Ensure the puff pastry is thawed but kept cool in the fridge

Make the filling -  Start by sauteing the onions, ginger, garlic in one tbsp canola oil.

Then add in the meat mince and spices.. Break the meat well and cook on medium heat. You do not want large chunks of meat in the pastry.

 Once the meat is cooked and almost all the liquid is absorbed (don't make it too dry) - add in the salt, pepper, lemon juice and chopped cilantro.
Give it a taste test.
Your filling is ready.

Important - Cool the mixture completely before you proceed to filling the pastry.

 Roll out your puff pastry in to  a square. Next cut the square into 12 equal squares.
yep, I have only nice squares left...(used up some of the pastry for my kids unplanned apple tart before)

 Now it's easy - just place the filling in the center of each square. Not too much filling just enough so you can fold over and not too little because once the pastry is baked it will puff up and the filling will be lost inside.
You want to have a good balance of meat and pastry.

Brush egg wash on the edges and fold over...  (sorry the picture is not clear)

Use a fork to seal and mark edges so they look nicer as well as won't open during baking. 

An alternate method to doing these quicker is, especially if you are making them in plenty or making mini versions of these for a party.

Take a longer piece of puff pastry - Place the filling in the center

Apple egg wash on the edges - fold over.

Fork so it seals well. 

Cut into smaller portions.
I'm making just two at a time here (for the purpose of demonstration) but If I make these for a party I'd make a long strip and then cut them into 6 or 8 smaller portions. It's easier to work with the puff pastry when it's a larger piece then smaller. 

Before Baking -
Place on a baking tray and place in the fridge. Puff pastry bakes best when chilled so always ensure you place your puff pastry in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before you bake it. This way the chilled butter between the layers will give you a nice flaky crust.

Make ahead -  You can make these, until this stage ahead and leave them in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for a month. Just thaw in the fridge before you bake them.

Baking - Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F - for 10 minutes
Brush the puff pastry with egg wash..
Place the puff pastry in the oven on the middle rack and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes until golden and puffed up.

Like so......

Cool on a wire rack so the heat won't make them soggy on the underside.

Serve. My kids don't really need any ketchup with it but I believe it does go well with some.

here are some mini one I did some time back. 
You can also sprinkle some sesame seeds before baking.

Enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by, Have a great day...