Baker's Corner: Traditional Rolled Börek

I have a fantastic recipe for you today which I'm sure you will love. This recipe is the result of my having attended a Turkish cooking class which I have been doing on a fairly regular basis since last year. 

Börek (also spelled bourek, burek and bòrek) is a deliciously flaky, baked savoury pastry. It is believed that börek originated in the old Ottoman Empire from what is present-day Turkey. Since its creation, börek has become a very popular dish in countries spanning the Balkans and Eastern Europe, Greece and all the way to Armenia and North Africa. 

This pastry comes stuffed with different fillings ranging from meat, vegetables, potato, cheese or a combination of ingredients. The shape also varies depending on where it’s made. Sometimes they are flat pastries, sometimes a log shape, a fancy spiral shape and other times resemble a pie.

The filling I have made consists of fresh spinach and feta cheese which is quite a traditional combination. I have also added in chopped Swiss brown mushrooms because I had some on hand but this is an optional ingredient. The filling for this börek is quite similar to the filling I use for Greek pie Spanakopita and the Turkish flatbread Gözleme. I adore this combination of ingredients so it is no surprise that I now have three dishes on the blog with subtle tweaks on the same.

I have used store-bought frozen filo (phyllo) pastry sheets to make the börek. Trust me, it makes things so much simpler. I defrosted the filo sheets by placing the package in the fridge overnight. The next day, the sheets were ready to be used. Note that if you are working with filo pastry for the first time, you will notice that these sheets are very delicate and tear easily. Not to worry though - a few tears here and there are perfectly acceptable.

This vegetarian rendition of börek is perfect as a breakfast or brunch dish served with a side salad. You can also serve it as an appetizer when you have guests over. It looks amazing and tastes fabulous too. My kids loved it so I'm convinced that it will have widespread appeal 😊

Try this recipe folks and let me know how just much you love it 😊

Traditional Rolled Börek

Preparation time: 30 min; Baking time: 30-40 min

Total time: ~ 1 h 15 min

Serves: 4-5

Recipe category: Appetizer/Turkish

Recipe level: Intermediate

Recipe source: Adapted from Chef Serdar Yener

Ingredients:

1/2 packet (375gm packet) or 6 rectangular sheets Filo pastry 

500g baby spinach, washed thoroughly, drained and roughly chopped

1/2-1 cup Swiss brown or portobello mushrooms, chopped, Optional

200g feta cheese, crumbled

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Salt to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:

120 gm full-fat plain yoghurt 

1 egg

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

For garnish (Optional):

Parmesan cheese

Black and white sesame seeds

Fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Method:

1. In a deep-bottomed pot, heat 3 tbsp olive oil and add the chopped onion. Fry till translucent.

2. Add in minced garlic and fry until fragrant.

3. Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook till soft.

4. Now add in the roughly chopped spinach and cook until soft for 5 min. Here I have used a mixture of baby spinach and regular spinach. I removed the thicker stalks from the regular spinach but have retained the thin tender ones. Keep this aside to cool. 

5. Once the spinach mixture has completely cooled down, add in crumbled feta cheese, cracked black pepper and salt to taste. Keep in mind that feta cheese is salty so add salt quite conservatively and as needed. At this stage if you want to add in any other seasonings like dried herbs, paprika or red chilli flakes, you can add it in. Mix well and leave in the fridge until required. 

Now you have everything you need to start assembling the börek

6. Remove the filo pastry sheets from the packet. Don't worry if the sheets are a bit torn. Lightly brush one sheet of filo pastry with the sauce. 

7. Take another sheet of filo pastry and lay it over the top of the first sheet so that both sheets are aligned. Brush the top of the second sheet with sauce.

8. Add about 4-5 heaped tbsp of the spinach-mushroom-feta mixture along the bottom edge of the filo sheet. Spread the filling so it is even from one end to the other.

9. Now start rolling the pastry from the bottom all the way to the top using a uniform and gentle touch so that the filling is wrapped inside the filo pastry sheets and it forms a long thin log.

10. Brush a large round baking pan/oven-safe glass dish/aluminium foil pan with oil. Coil the filled pastry in a circular snail-like fashion  and place it in the centre of the pan. 

11. Repeat steps 6-9 and arrange the prepared log in a circular shape around the first one, lightly tucking the ends in. 

Note that you can even make three individual spirals if you don't want to make one giant one. 

12. Repeat steps 6-9 one more time until all the filling is used up and arrange the prepared log in a circular shape around the second one, lightly tucking the ends in. 

13. Brush the top of the börek generously with sauce. Sprinkle over parmesan cheese and sesame seeds (if using).

14. Bake in a 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan) preheated oven for 30-40 min or until golden brown in color.

15. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly. Garnish with fresh Italian parsley if desired. Cut into wedges and serve while still warm.

Notes:

• If you don't have baby spinach, you can use regular spinach instead. Trim the thicker stalks before using
• Swiss chard can also be used as a substitute for spinach
• You can use white button mushrooms if you don't have Swiss brown or portobello mushrooms. If you don't want to use mushrooms then just skip. 
• You can use potato inside the filling to make it more hearty
• You can also use nigella seeds for garnishing the pastry before baking
• Turkish feta cheese is a classic in this traditional börek recipe, but ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, cheddar cheese or Monterey jack would also work

Cheers,

Megha