Turkish su böreği — the soft Ottoman cheese-and-parsley pie

Ingredients (pan approx. 35 cm, 8–10 servings):

• 500 g wheat flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• about 150 ml lukewarm water (for the dough)
• 400 g white cheese (feta or sheep’s cheese), crumbled
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 100 g melted butter (for brushing the sheets and the pan)
• 2 liters water + 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling the sheets)
• ice-cold water (for cooling the sheets after boiling)

Preparation steps:

1. Prepare the dough: in a large bowl combine the flour, eggs, salt and lukewarm water and work the dough 8–10 minutes, until it becomes soft and elastic. Cover with a cloth and let it rest 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 10–12 equal balls and roll each out with a rolling pin into very thin sheets, the size of the pan.
3. Put a large pot of salted water on the heat to boil and prepare nearby a bowl of ice-cold water.
4. Boil the sheets one by one for 30–40 seconds in the boiling water, remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into the cold water; then drain well.
5. Brush the pan with melted butter. Add 5–6 boiled sheets, brushing each with melted butter.
6. Spread over half of the filling: the crumbled white cheese mixed with the chopped parsley.
7. Continue with 2–3 more buttered sheets, add the other part of the filling and cover with the remaining sheets, brushing each with butter.
8. Cut the pie into squares before baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35–40 minutes, until the surface turns golden.
9. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Preparation time: about 1 hour; baking time: 35–40 minutes. Servings: 8–10.