Turkish Spinach Pine Nut and Feta Borek
Turkish restaurants have become very popular and seem to have sprung up everywhere. One of my favourite things are the spinach and feta boreks. Often eaten as a snack in Turkey they are delicious to have as a starter, a lunch or take on a picnic. Instead of brushing the filo with melted butter you use a mixture of oil and yogurt. (If you don’t want to buy a whole tub yogurt just brush with oil or melted butter) The tricky bit is rolling them up but take your time and you will love the results. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 200g baby leaf spinach, wilted in a hot pan, then squeezed to remove excess water
- 80g feta cheese, crumbled, plus extra to serve
- 20g pine nuts, toasted, plus extra to serve
- A few sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra to serve
- 1-2 tbsp double cream
- 30g natural yogurt
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 3 filo pastry sheets (I used Jus-Rol)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Combine the cooked spinach, feta, toasted pine nuts and mint in a bowl. Add just enough double cream to bind, then season well. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk and olive oil. Lay out a sheet of filo on a clean work surface and brush with some of the yogurt mixture (keep the remaining filo sheets covered with a damp tea towel so they don’t dry out). Lay another sheet on top and brush again with yogurt mixture and then repeat with last sheet (you may have some yogurt mix left over). You now have 3 layers.
- Cut the filo in half horizontally, then again vertically to create four even rectangles. Divide the filling equally among the four rectangles, putting about 1 heaped tablespoon of filling on each, leaving a 2cm gap from the bottom of the short side facing you. Roll each piece tightly to create four cigar-shaped cylinders. Transfer to a baking tray lined with nonstick baking paper, brush with a little oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and crisp. Serve sprinkled with extra mint leaves, feta and pine nuts.