Culture Kitchen: Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 package böreklik yufka OR phyllo dough, thawed per package instructions

• 5 heads of fresh spinach OR two 16 oz. packages chopped frozen spinach

• 3 eggs

• 2 cups plain yogurt

• ½ cup olive oil

• 3 green onions, chopped

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

• 1kg / 2 lbs wet Turkish beyaz peynir OR 14 oz. dry feta

  • Beyaz peynir can be found at My Pita Wrap on Milton

• Salt + pepper

• Black and / or white sesame seeds (optional)

• Extra olive oil for brushing pan

• You will also need a pastry/basting brush, or a similar food-safe brush

Chef’s Notes

• I fell in love with this dish when trying it from a famous bakery on the Asian side of Istanbul. Since then, I've made it regularly, modifying it based on what ingredients I have  at hand

• There are many shapes of Borek - some are flat like a lasagne, others are round, but my favorite shape is what I'll show during Culture Kitchen - gül börek or 'rose borek' since it looks like a flower

• It is best eaten about 12 hours after it's baked. However, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or so. It's definitely a full-effort and full-fat food, but it's filling and I've always found it worth the time!