How do you make a good börek? And can you also make it vegan? Find out all this and more on Esin's new food blog, quick and easy.
There are countless börek variations. You can top it and then simply roll the dough sheets, but you can also layer the börek, fold it into half moons or shape it into snails after rolling. The fillings are just as varied. Usually it is a mixture of cheese and herbs. I'm using fresh spinach this time and want to try a vegan feta cheese. If you want to know more about me, you can find my profile at the bottom of the page.
Turkish pastry yufka or filo pastry?
If you want to bake this recipe, you should go to a Turkish grocery shop and get special pastry sheets called yufka. Alternatively, you can use filo pastry sheets, but these are usually a bit finer and break quickly. So if you use filo pastry, you need to use at least two sheets on top of each other.
Ingredients for 4 people:
Step 1:
Prepare all the ingredients for the mise en place. Wash and finely chop the spinach, parsley and spring onions. Crush the feta cheese into small pieces with a fork. Brush the baking dish with olive oil and pre-heat the oven to 200 °C.
Step 2:
For the sauce, put the yoghurt in a bowl and mix with the milk or cream. Season with salt.
Step 3:
For the spinach filling, add the spring onions and parsley to the spinach. Add the crushed cheese and season with salt and pepper. Then mix well with your hands, crushing larger pieces of feta with your fingers.
Step 4:
Now lay out a yufka plate on a large work surface and spread generously with the sauce. Spread the spinach filling on top and then fold in on four sides.
Step 5:
Carefully roll up the covered pastry sheets and place them in the prepared baking dish. You may need to cut the roll in half if it does not fit lengthwise in the dish.
Step 6:
Now brush the dough rolls with olive oil and sprinkle with the light and black sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for about half an hour. The surface should have a nice golden yellow colour.
After the finished börek has cooled a little, it can be served. It goes well with a mixed salad or a tomato salad. The vegan variation with vegan feta cheese is absolutely delicious and tastes spicy. You can also eat the börek cold the next day. Afiyet olsun!
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