Ispanakli peynirli börek: spinach and cheese filo pastry traybake
One of Turkey’s favourite street food snacks, börek – flaky, crisp and golden stuffed filo pastry parcels – are devoured with gusto across the country, and with good reason.
In her latest book, Özlem’s Turkish Table: Recipes from My Homeland, Turkish culinary expert Özlem Warren shares her family-friendly version of the classic dish, and it’s a bit of a winner.
This clever recipe, based on the ispanakli peynirli (spinach and cheese) variety, features all the elements we love most about börek – layers of crunchy, craggy, buttery filo pastry, soft and salty white cheese and vibrant fresh greens – in an easy-to-assemble traybake.
The result is sensational. Everyone will love them and, when matched with a crisp green salad, they're also sophisticated enough to serve at a summer lunch soirée or as a starter at a dinner party. The leftovers are delicious the next day, too, and make for perfect picnic fodder.
Things to note:
Traditionally, börek is made with beyaz peynir, a salty, crumbly white brine cheese. If you struggle to source beyaz peynir, Özlem suggests using feta in its place.
This dish freezes well. Once cooled, slice the börek into pieces and transfer to sealable freezer bags. Reheat in the oven from frozen, on a lightly oiled baking tray, at 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. This should take around 10 minutes.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select ‘Cups’.
Ingredients
- 24 sheets of 48 cm x 25 cm filo pastry, thawed if frozen
- 200 spinach leaves
- 3 eggs
- 200 g beyaz peynir (Turkish white cheese) or feta, drained and mashed with a fork
- 110 g grated mozzarella
- 120 ml water
- 120 ml milk
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 24 sheets of 48 cm x 25 cm filo pastry, thawed if frozen
- 200 spinach leaves
- 3 eggs
- 7.1 oz beyaz peynir (Turkish white cheese) or feta, drained and mashed with a fork
- 3.9 oz grated mozzarella
- 4.2 fl oz water
- 4.2 fl oz milk
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 24 24 sheets of 19 in x 10 in filo pastry, thawed if frozen
- 200 spinach leaves
- 3 eggs
- 7.1 oz beyaz peynir (Turkish white cheese) or feta, drained and mashed with a fork
- 3.9 oz grated mozzarella
- 0.5 cup water
- 0.5 cup milk
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Details
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Recipe Type: Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 40 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Wash the spinach leaves. Pat dry and squeeze out any excess water, then roughly chop. Set aside.
- Beat two of the eggs together in a large bowl. Add the beyaz peynir (or feta), grated mozzarella and the chopped spinach to the eggs and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the water with the milk and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Grease a medium baking tray with 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the filo pastry sheets on the work surface, alongside the baking tray. Cover with a damp, clean cloth to ensure the sheets don’t dry out while you assemble the börek.
- Layer 2 filo sheets over the base of the greased baking tray. Generously brush the milk, olive oil and water mixture all over the pastry. Repeat this process, layering 2 pastry sheets at a time and brushing with the liquid, until you reach the 12th sheet.
- At this point, add the spinach and cheese filling and spread evenly over the pastry.
- Continue layering the remaining filo sheets and brushing with the milk mixture every two layers until you’ve used up all the pastry.
- Beat the remaining egg with 0.5 tbsp olive oil and brush over the final pastry sheet. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Take the börek out of the oven, cover with baking paper (parchment) and leave to stand for 10 minutes. This ensures the börek doens't dry out.
- Cut into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature with a light salad.
Recipe adapted from Özlem’s Turkish Table: Recipes from My Homeland by Özlem Warren. (GB Publishing). Photography: Sian Irvine.
Özlem’s Turkish Table: Recipes from My Homeland by Özlem Warren
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