Turkish Borek with feta cheese and spinach

Ingredients

• Phyllo dough: 24 large sheets of dough (454 grams)
• spinach: 300 grams
• feta cheese: 300 grams
• mocarella cheese: 200 grams (or any other light cheese)
• eggs: 4
• non-fat cream: 125 milliliters
• water: 125 milliliters
• olive oil: 5 tablespoons
• sesame seeds: 2 tablespoons

Recipe Directions

1. 1. First, remove the filo pastry from the freezer and leave it in the fridge overnight or for 24 hours.
2. 2. Then, 2 hours before cooking, take the dough out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature (just don't take it out of the packaging).
Advertisement
3. 3. Whisk 3 eggs in a bowl.
4. 4. Cut off the stems of the spinach leaves. Coarsely chop the spinach leaves and place them in a large bowl with the crumbled feta cheese, grated mozzarella cheese and beaten eggs. Stir with a spoon until all the ingredients are combined.
5. 5. Then, in another bowl, mix the water with the cream and one tablespoon of olive oil.
6. 6. Grease the two baking trays (with slightly higher sides) in which the borek will be baked with 2 tablespoons of olive oil each. If you are baking in one large tin, you will need approximately 2,5-3 tablespoons of oil. I baked mine in 2 33x23 cm oven trays.
7. 7. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
8. 8. Whisk one egg with a little olive oil, set aside.
9. 9. When you are ready to layer the borek, only then take the dough out of the package, cut the dough sheets in half (48 sheets of the same size in total), and after taking a few sheets each time, keep the remaining ones covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out and crumbling.
10. 10. Layering the borek: Prepare one borek first, then layer the second in the same order. Place 3 sheets of dough in the baking tin, pour 2-3 tablespoons of the cream mixture over the top, spread evenly, then place 2 layers of 3 sheets each, then pour the cream mixture over both layers.
11. 11. Add another layer of 3 leaves, without covering it with the cream mixture, but spread half of the spinach-cheese mixture evenly. Then continue to add 3 layers of 3 leaves, each layer still covered with the cream mixture.
12. 12. At the end, place the last 3 leaves and brush them with half the egg-oil mixture. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sesame seeds on top.
13. 13. Baking the borek: Bake the borek in a preheated oven for ~35-40 minutes until the top is nicely browned. While one borek is baking, prepare the second one in the same order. Alternatively, you can bake both borek at the same time.
14. 14. Slice the baked borek and serve immediately. Enjoy!
15. 15. Tip: Borek is very tasty chilled, but also delicious warmed in the microwave.
16. 16. Tip: You can freeze your borek in the freezer and then thaw in the oven.