Yesterday my friend and I had a nice lunch together. The nicest part was mine because she was about to cook and me about to photo-shoot. The idea, I confess, was mine. I have a nice kitchen but the light there is really bad for photo-shootings. And my kitchen is very cold, too, because I live in a completely empty house in these days. No problem but a little bit uncomfortable for cooking and shooting. So I asked my friend to use her kitchen. She loves to cook and bake and has a cozy kitchen with lots of light. I made the menu, we bought both the ingredients and then we had a nice afternoon in the kitchen to try out a new recipe.
Yesterday I chose Börek. That is Turkish Phyllo pastry (Yufka) filled with spinach and feta cheese. She never had that and I used to eat it on late Sunday brunches in Istanbul. It is a kind of pie. I found a recipe.
The Yufka dough and the feta cheese we got in a Turkish supermarket. One can use also the typical Turkish Peynir which is very similar. From the Yufka take only one package, that is definitely enough! If you think about the three sheets only in it, don’t worry! The Yufka sheets are normally big. I mean really big, about 40 cm diameter.
You can use just a flat baking plate with a baking sheet on it. Or you use a higher baking tray, the one you use for quiche, or a cake-tray. That’s the form I know and so the Börek is higher than the one we did yesterday. We had a flat baking tray with a baking sheet on it.
When ready let the Börek cool just a few minutes and then cut into small pieces, about 10 x 10 centimeters. Arrange on a big plate and serve.
- 5-6 pieces yufka dough
- 400 g spinach
- 2 onions
- 2 gloves garlic
- 250 g feta cheese (use nut cheese if you don't eat dairy)
- 2 eggs
- 200 ml nut milk
- 80 ml olive oil extra vergin
- some salt and pepper
- Clean and chop onions and garlic gloves. In a pan fry all till golden in a little bit of oil. Add spinach and some salt and pepper. Let it cook for a while till it is smooth. Take away from fireside and turn of the heat.
- Now take the cheese and cut it into pieces. Add the cheese to the spinach in the pot, stir briefly and let it there.
- In a small bowl now put eggs, salt, pepper, oil and milk. Stir all well. This will be the 'glue' for the yufka dough.
- Preheat the oven on 175°C.
- Take the first yufka sheet and place it on the baking tray. Take a brush and gently coat the dough with the prepared egg-oil glue.
- Now take 4 to 5 tablespoonful of the spinach-cheese and spread it well on the yufka. Close above all with the dough. Put again the egg-oil glue and add a new layer of spinach-cheese on the top. Close again with the dough and put the egg-oil glue. Finish the spinach-cheese composition and close all well with the yufka. Take parts of the other sheet (just rip off pieces of a big one) to close well the single layers. Spread on the last yufka layer all the rest of the egg-oil glue. The dough has not to be dry.
- Now put into the oven and cookuntil golden on the top.
- Let it cool just a few minutes and then cut into small pieces, about 10 x 10 centimeters. Arrange on a big plate and serve.
This kind of pie is also great with only cheese or who likes it with minced meat. For a special taste roast pine nuts in the beginning with the onions and garlic.
Before using the cheese let drip the water away so it is not too wet for cutting.
Börek is great for parties for example.
If you have left overs put them covered in the fridge over night. The day after they are still great and can be warmed up also in the oven.
Thanks for pointing me to Börek. I love spinach as well as feta cheese.
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