Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars: Turkish recipe by Hulya Erdal

After corresponding with Food Writer and chef, Hulya Erdal, for several months, we finally met earlier this year at IFE in London when Hulya got to taste all our flavours and walk off with a couple of bottles to play with.
Since then, Hulya has been experimenting with recipes using our Strawberry & Mint Vinegar dressing and I was delighted to receive this lovely idea recently. Hulya is justifiably so proud of this recipe that the picture for it appears on her home page.

Biography

Having spent years as a Marketeer and PR in the food sector, Hulya is now a lecturer and writer in food and culinary skills. She contributes to many national publications including writing a regular weekly column on all things foodie. Hulya runs her own catering business and gives private talks and demonstrations to those interested in learning how to eat well and create fabulous meals. With a few TV appearances under her belt including Channel 4's all new Iron Chef UK, F-word and BBC One London News, Hulya's first and last passion will always be food!

I love the range of Womersley vinegars and dressings, they are versatile and marry well with my Turkish infusion of cooking. Why not try my Turkish filo parcel served with a baby leaf and pomegranate salad and Womersley strawberry and mint dressing. Eye catching but so simple, you're sure to impress all your friends!

Turkish Filo Parcel served with a Baby Leaf and Pomegranate salad and

Womersley Strawberry & Mint Dressing

Photo by Soley Mustafa, Courtesy of Hulya Erdal

You will need (serves 4):
1 pack of chilled filo pastry, most supermarkets sell them, try Jus Rol.

150g feta cheese or something similar

50g Ricotta cheese

100g Halloumi, grated

A few leaves of fresh mint, dried will do if you can't get fresh

A sprig of fresh parsley, curly leaf or flat leaf

75g melted butter

For the salad:
Lambs lettuce, baby leaf spinach and some pomegranate kernels

Olive oil
Womersley Strawberry & Mint Dressing

Equipment:

4 ramekins and one similar size diameter pastry cutter, palette
knife

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas mark 5.

Remove the filo pastry from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for about half an hour. Meanwhile, grate the halloumi and finely chop the mint and parsley. Crumble the soft cheeses in a large bowl and then mix together all the cheese and herbs. Season with a little pepper but no salt as the cheese mixture has enough.

Set aside.

Melt the butter and set it aside.

Take the pastry from it's pack and lay out flat. You'll find it will be 3 or 4 layers of pastry. Keep all the layers together for now, cut rounds in the pastry with the cutter. You are aiming to have about 12 layers in total for each ramekin.

Separate the layers out.

Brush each ramekin with some melted butter. Now separate all the layers of rounds of pastry.

Place a sheet of pastry in each ramekin, brush the pastry then lay another sheet on top. Do this until you have six layers in each.

Now top each with some of the cheese and herb mixture.

Repeat the process for the final six layers. Finish the top with more melted butter and if you like some toasted sesame seeds and nigella seeds.

Now bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until crisp, risen and golden.

Whilst the borek bakes, make the salad by mixing the baby leaves in a bowl with the pomegranate kernels and then drizzle over a little olive oil and some of the delicious Womersley Strawberry & Mint dressing.

Carefully lift each borek from the ramekin using a palette knife to tease it from the bottom. Place on individual dishes with a some salad, serve to your friends, smile with pride and enjoy!