Creamy Feta and Caramelized Leek Börek

Börek is a Turkish pastry, made with either filo or yufka pastry, then stuffed with various fillings, such as cheese, vegetable or meat. It can be a perfect snack, a light lunch or a main course.

• 
  
  3 leeks, white and pale green parts, finely sliced
  
  


• 
  
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
  
  


• 
  
  2 Tbs. olive oil
  
  


• 
  
  1 Tbs. unsalted butter
  
  


• 
  
  3/4 cup chicken broth
  
  


• 
  
  1 bay leaf
  
  


• 
  
  Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  
  


• 
  
  7 oz. feta, crumbled
  
  


• 
  
  2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh oregano
  
  


• 
  
  8 sheets frozen filo dough, thawed
  
  


• 
  
  melted butter, for brushing
  
  


• 
  
  2 Tbs. hemp, poppy and/or black sesame seeds
  
  

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Sauté the leeks, garlic and sugar in the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the stock and bay leaf, and season. Cook until the leeks are very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and cool. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and combine with the cheese and oregano.

Spread a sheet of filo on the work surface, and cut lengthwise into thirds. Keep the remaining filo covered with a damp kitchen towel. Each strip will make 1 börek.

Brush a filo strip with melted butter and place a tablespoon of filling across the corner of one end. Fold this corner up and over to form a triangle and enclose the filling. Fold over again, and continue until you have a triangular pastry parcel. Repeat with remaining filo and filling.

Arrange the böreks on a baking sheet. Brush with more melted butter and sprinkle with the seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Creamy Feta and Caramelized Leek Börek

Börek is a Turkish pastry, made with either filo or yufka pastry, then stuffed with various fillings, such as cheese, vegetable or meat. It can be a perfect snack, a light lunch or a main course.

• 
  
  3 leeks, white and pale green parts, finely sliced
  
  


• 
  
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
  
  


• 
  
  2 Tbs. olive oil
  
  


• 
  
  1 Tbs. unsalted butter
  
  


• 
  
  3/4 cup chicken broth
  
  


• 
  
  1 bay leaf
  
  


• 
  
  Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  
  


• 
  
  7 oz. feta, crumbled
  
  


• 
  
  2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh oregano
  
  


• 
  
  8 sheets frozen filo dough, thawed
  
  


• 
  
  melted butter, for brushing
  
  


• 
  
  2 Tbs. hemp, poppy and/or black sesame seeds
  
  

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Sauté the leeks, garlic and sugar in the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the stock and bay leaf, and season. Cook until the leeks are very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and cool. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and combine with the cheese and oregano.

Spread a sheet of filo on the work surface, and cut lengthwise into thirds. Keep the remaining filo covered with a damp kitchen towel. Each strip will make 1 börek.

Brush a filo strip with melted butter and place a tablespoon of filling across the corner of one end. Fold this corner up and over to form a triangle and enclose the filling. Fold over again, and continue until you have a triangular pastry parcel. Repeat with remaining filo and filling.

Arrange the böreks on a baking sheet. Brush with more melted butter and sprinkle with the seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Greek Spinach & Feta Pie (Spanakopita)

Spanakopita can also be made with other greens, such as dandelion or chard, in place of spinach. You can use 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh. Thaw the spinach overnight or in a colander under warm running water. Squeeze out the liquid and skip the pan-wilting step.

For the filling:

• 
  
  2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, dried, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
  
  


• 
  
  3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  
  


• 
  
  1 bunch scallions (about 3 oz. or 10 small), white and light-green parts only, trimmed and finely chopped
  
  


• 
  
  2 cups crumbled feta cheese (10 oz.)
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 cup finely grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano
  
  


• 
  
  2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
  
  


• 
  
  1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
  


• 
  
  1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  
  


• 
  
  Kosher or fine sea salt
  
  

For the assembly:

• 
  
  1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing; more as needed
  
  


• 
  
  Eighteen 9x14-inch sheets frozen phyllo dough (I use Athens brand), thawed and at room temperature
  
  


• 
  
  2 tsp. whole milk
  
  

Tip:

Phyllo dries out very fast and becomes brittle when exposed to the air. Check out our test kitchen tips for working with it.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Make the filling: Heat a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a few large handfuls of the spinach and cook, tossing gently with tongs. As the spinach starts to wilt, add the rest a few handfuls at a time. Cook until all the spinach is wilted and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander set in a sink. Let cool slightly and squeeze with your hands to extract as much of the remaining liquid as you can.

Wipe the pan dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spinach, turn off the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Then stir in the cheeses, eggs, dill, parsley, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. salt and mix thoroughly.

Assemble the pie: With a pastry brush, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with some of the oil. Working quickly, lightly oil one side of a phyllo sheet and lay it in the pan oiled side up and off center so that it partially covers the bottom and reaches halfway up one long side of the pan (the edge on the bottom of the pan will be about 1 inch from the side). Lightly oil the top of another phyllo sheet and lay it oiled side up and off center so it reaches halfway up the other long side of the pan. (If your pan has sloped sides, the sheets may be slightly longer than the bottom of the pan; if so, let the excess go up one short side of the pan and then alternate with subsequent sheets.) Repeat this pattern with 4 more phyllo sheets.

Next, lightly oil the tops of 3 phyllo sheets and layer them oiled side up and centered in the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the last layer.

Repeat the oiling and layering of the remaining 9 phyllo sheets over the filling in the same way you layered the previous 9. With the oiled bristles of the pastry brush, push the edges of the phyllo down around the sides of the pan to enclose the filling completely.

With a sharp knife, score the top phyllo layer into 24 rectangles, being careful not to cut all the way through to the filling. Using the same pastry brush, brush the milk along all the score marks (this will keep the phyllo from flaking up along the edges of the squares). Bake the spanakopita until the top crust is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool until just warm. Cut out the rectangles carefully along the score marks and serve.