Börek - Spinach + Tofu Feta
This pastry is fairly impressive to look at, yet isn’t especially difficult to make. Most of my year 8’s mastered them on their first try last year!
If it’s the first time you’ve worked with filo pastry, make sure that you read the recipe carefully and keep any pastry sheets that you are not currently using under a damp tea towel to stop them from drying out.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Borek
1kg frozen spinach
2 ½ tbsp olive oil
½ brown onion
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup fresh dill
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp lemon rind
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
salt & pepper
16 sheets filo pastry
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Tofu feta
250g firm tofu
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
Method
Prep 2 hours before
Break up the feta into small pieces with your hands.
In a small bowl, mix the miso, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, oregano and salt to a paste.
Pour over tofu and mix until it is coated well. Cover and marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
And then
Thaw the spinach and press in a sieve to remove as much excess water as you can. Set aside in a large bowl.
Finely dice the onion and garlic. Finely chop the dill and parsley.
Preheat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the onion mix to the spinach, along with the dill, parsley, lemon rind and juice, pine nuts, nutmeg and tofu feta. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Set oven to 180ºC, and then wet a tea towel with cold water and wring out as much of the excess water as possible, so it’s only damp. Lay out the filo sheets on a clean surface and cover them with the damp tea towel; this will stop them from drying out while you are rolling the boreks.
Take 2 sheets of filo and lay them on top of each other. Take another 2 sheets and repeat, placing them beside the first 2. Brush with some olive oil on the short edge of the first 2 sheets and overlap the second 2 sheets (1–2 inches).
Spoon 1/4 of the spinach mix evenly along the long edge of the pastry closest to you. Carefully roll up the pastry around the filing into a long tube of pastry, brushing the last inch of pastry with some olive oil to seal the end before the final rotation.
Gently roll the pastry into a snail shape, using your hands to guide the pastry. If you do this too quickly the pastry might tear. Pinch and tuck the end of the pastry underneath the snail.
Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle over some sesame seeds. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden.
