Turkey Dinner Borek - Leftovers Made New Again

 

turkey borek sliced

slice turkey borek

turkish borek

Introducing my Thanksgiving Day Borek. Loads of story viewers chimed in to say they’d like to see turkey with a twist. This recipe is a great way to take turkey leftovers in a different direction that makes the last night's dinner taste new. 


ABOUT THE DISH:


Are you familiar with a borek? I wasn’t until recently. I’d liken it to Greece’s spinach pie. In this version layers of phyllo are pushed into the bottom of a metal cake pan, then my leftover slow cooker turkey, some gravy, cranberry sauce, candied yams and bacon maple roasted brussels sprouts are stacked. Finally more sheets of phyllo are crumbled and topped off. The whole thing is baked in the oven. 

THE RESULTS: 


This is the best thing I’ve had in a while! It takes leftovers and the no food waste philosophy to new heights and elevates yesterday’s turkey dinner into something savory and flavor packed. The flakiness of the phyllo is the perfect contrast to the soft yams, tangy cranberries and salty brussels sprouts. 

RECIPE NOTES:


  • To keep this light, I sprayed each layer with olive oil cooking spray instead of using butter or oil. 
  • Thaw phyllo overnight in fridge [top shelf]. 
  • Section your top and bottom layers into separate rolls. Create humidity by rolling up each section in plastic wrap and then roll a damp microfiber cloth over it. 
  • Avoid folding phyllo. Crumble it and adjust. Folding breaks it.
  • This pie can take any leftover filling you want and be any size. Get creative. 

RECIPE:

4 servings
Per serving: 266 cals/3g total fat/.5g sat fat/42.5g carbs/4.2g fiber/17g sugar/18g protein

7 sheets phyllo, divided:3 for the bottom and 4 for on top
4 ounces cooked leftover turkey breast
2 tbs turkey gravy
1/4 cup cranberry sauce 
1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup cooked brussels sprouts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 6 inch metal cake pan with olive oil cooking spray. Lay 1 sheet phyllo on bottom of pan. Allow the extra to hang over the sides of the pan. We want the phyllo to go up the sides of the cake pan so that eventually we have a sealed packet. Spray the sheet with olive oil cooking spray. In the opposite direction lay another phyllo sheet and allow it to hand over the side of the pan. Crumple the last sheet and lay it in the bottom so it has folds and ridges. Spray with cooking spray. Then add turkey evenly on bottom. Drizzle turkey gravy over top, spread cranberry sauce over the turkey, then the sweet potatoes and finally the brussels sprouts. Taking the 4 sheets that are left, crumple 1 layer of the phyllo evenly over the sweet potato layer. Spray with olive oil cooking spray. Repeat 2 more times. Folder the phyllo that was hanging over the sides over top. Press down gently on the pan to compact everything. Spray with olive oil spray. Bake in center of oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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