Traditional Balkan Cheese Pie - Burek (Original Recipe with Pictures)

Today we were feeling a bit lazy. We wanted to just throw something in the oven, you know? :) The decision fell on a traditional staple of Balkan cuisine, a lovely gift of 500 years under Ottoman Empire - cheese pie. When made and sold professionally, it's called burek - if you are ever in Balkans, don't miss out on this greasy pleasure! Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the matter: "In the nations established or reestablished in the stead of the territories of the former Yugoslavia, burek is regularly available at most bakeries, and usually eaten as "fast food". It is often consumed with yogurt. Apart from being sold at bakeries, burek is served in specialized stores selling börek (or pitas) and yogurt exclusively (Buregdžinica)."

What we're making here is homemade burek, and we call that pita (which means pie.) Take a look at its glory!

So, for this recipe you only need a couple of things - cheese, eggs, dough, oil. Here in Balkans, we have a wide variety of homemade cheese - it can be just a few days old, or up to a month, very salty or not salty at all. For pita you usually choose the cheese you don't really want to eat, but it shouldn't be disgusting either :)

Mix the cheese with 5 or 6 eggs. And that's it for the filling! Cheese is very aromatic and salty, so you don't really need any spices.

You'll also need around 10-15 phyllo dough sheets. I used the ones made of buckwheat, because they are extra crispy. You can buy these at most stores.

Set the sheets straight and splash some filling on them. Spread it around and roll up.

Take a deep baking dish and grease it with some sunflower oil. Set the rolled pieces in, forming a circle around the center.

Carry on until there are no sheets or filling left. If you have some leftover filling, just put it in between the rolls. In the end, cut through the rolls like you would cut a pizza, and sprinkle some more oil on the top.

Put the pie in a preheated oven for about half an hour or a bit more, if you want it to be super crusty. After you take the pie out of the oven, cover it with some tablecloths for about 15 minutes. In this way it can chill but not lose any of the sweetness and softness.

Cut into triangle pieces and serve with some yogurt.

That's it! In less than an hour, you too can make a traditional burek and dive into one of the most beloved dishes in the Balkans!