Spring Onion Medley Burek
* about 12 oz filo dough (about 12 or so 13x18-inch thin filo pastry sheets)
* about 1 1/2 lb spring onions (two large bunches)
* about 6 oz spring garlic (a bunch or two, depending on how generous your farmer is when packing)
* about 5 oz ramps (one bunch)
* 6 - 8 tbsp olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan and drizzling burek
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp ground coriander
* 1/4 tsp ground fennel
* 2 large eggs
* 3 tbsp of whole milk or cream
* salt and freshly ground white pepper
hardware
* 9-inch round baking pan or 9x9-inch square baking pan
About two hours before baking, remove the filo from the freezer, and let it defrost.
Preheat the oven to 360F convection (or 385F regular bake).
Wash the onions, garlic and ramps carefully. Chop off the tops. Trim the ends from the spring onions and garlic, but keep a good portion of green parts. Discard yellow or damaged leaves from the ramps.
Chop all vegetables finely. (I usually slice the onions, garlic and white ramp tops into 1/4-inch tick slices, and julienne ramp leaves.)
In a large skillet, or sauté pan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chopped vegetables and mix well. Cover. After a couple of minutes, when the vegetables begin to soften, add the spices. Again, mix well, half cover and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or so, until vegetables are very soft. Remove the pan from the stove and set aside. Season with salt and pepper.
Oil the baking pan generously. Take three sheets of filo together, so that they resemble one thick filo sheet, and place them on a work surface, in landscape orientation (long edge of the sheet facing you). Place about a quarter of the filling along the long edge of the sheet. Do not spread the filling over the entire sheet, it should evenly cover only the half of the sheet, leaving the other half empty for rolling (sort of like rolling sushi). Fold the edge of the sheet with filling, tuck it slightly and roll it up into a long sausage-shaped roll. Lay one end of the roll into the middle of the baking pan. Carefully wrap the remainder of the pastry-roll around itself to form a snail-shaped pie in the middle of the baking pan. This will fill about a quarter of the pan. Take another three sheets of filo, make another roll, and continue building your snail. (Depending on the baking pan you are using, and how tightly you roll, you might not use the entire fourth pie-roll. If you have more than what fits into the pan, cut out the piece you need and complete the pie.)
Brush the top of the pastry with olive oil. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk or cream, and mix. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg mixture, and then pour the remaining mixture all over burek, letting the mixture sip into its crevices.
Place the burek in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through and golden-brown. Cut into wedges and serve.
Serves 4
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