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Feta Borek
First time I ate these delicious little pastries was while vacationing in Greece. It was there that I learned that it wasn’t just a Greek recipe, but it’s a recipe common to many countries once living under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Among them are Turkey and Israel.
The pastries can be filled with cheese, meat or vegetables. Or really, any combination works. They’re snacks, appetizers and from what I’ve been told they’re eaten for breakfast in Turkey as well, though I am not sure if that’s true, but I plan on finding out later this year when I’ll be visiting Turkey for the first time in my life. So looking forward to it.
Up until then, this is my all-time favorite Börek version. I must admit, this one is so delicious I simply cannot imagine any other version stealing my heart like the Greek Börek did.
Ingredients:
5 phyllo dough sheets (cut in half)
5 oz feta cheese
flat-leaf parsley
orange zest
lemon zest
pepper
egg
Optional: olives
Directions:
* Let the phyllo/phylo/phillo/filo (however you want to spell it) dough thaw out completely and use scissors to cut it in any size you like. I prefer 3 inch strips for slightly bigger triangles.
I really like recipes that require only a few ingredients.
Wash and dry the orange. Grate a little zest—just a hint—or it will quickly become overpowering. 
Wash and dry the lemon, but grate a little more zest than you did the orange.
Crumble the feta right on top of all the zest. Crack some black pepper on top and don’t skimp! Break out the flat-leaf parsley.
I always wash and dry my parsley after buying/picking in the salad spinner and then store it in the fridge for quick use. Finely mince a good handful and mix it in with the feta.
Slice a few olives, if you like.
Some people like to layer the phyllo dough, I don’t, I use just one sheet. Lightly brush it with some oil or butter.
Place a spoonful of feta filling at the bottom or top of each pastry sheet and pull the corner over to make a triangle. Fold it up or down to make another triangle, and trim the ends with a sharp knife.
I’ll make a few with just feta cheese and a few with feta and olives. Feta with olives, roasted red pepper and parsley is also a killer combo, but don’t include the zest then!
Beat an egg, place the triangles on a baking sheet and lightly brush them with the egg, it will give them a nice shine. You can also brush them with olive oil or butter in stead.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 400F (200C) for about 15 to 20 minutes and turn them halfway, until brown and crunchy. I must admit I prefer a slightly chewy center so will often take them out after 15 minutes, but that’s just me.
I love these things. They’re salty, crunchy and even slightly fruity. Serve with lots of ouzo and moonshine!
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| copyright © kayotickitchen.com | |
25 Comments »
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Hi!
If you like this you really should try bosnian burek.. they know excatly how it is made. Its delicious. It’s made by everyone everywhere filled with.. heaven!!
You should try looking into less known Balkanian cooking.. something special! Pure magic!
Hi! I’m a humble fan from Greece. This refined version of Börek seems delicious! The idea of adding orange and lemon zest is just brilliant.
Here’s another idea: keep the filling simple, with just feta cheese, eggs & pepper (and maybe a bit of nutmeg) and then sprinkle some white & black sesame seeds. Finally, serve the Börek with honey. The combination of salty feta and sweet honey is just amazing. And the black sesame gives a spicy twist to the dish. Many thanks!
@Barbara:
You don’t happen to have a tried and true recipe for it, do you? I love trying foods from different countries!
@A:
Putting it next on my list of things to make, still have some sheets in the freezer! I can see how the combination of feta and honey is going to be absolutely mind blowing! Will have to try and find black sesame seeds, but we have the best Greek store downtown, so it should be doable.
yum yum yum yum – wow! These look fab – perfect for a spring picnic – thanks for sharing love your blog
Kay- you make it look so easy! I don’t see a damp tea-towel in sight. I made them a few months ago and oh boy did I get in a pickle! The pastry dried out but luckily I was making a Baklava at the same time so managed to use all the ripped pieces for that. It was heaven mmm ( I adapted my own recipe because I haven’t got a very sweet tooth and baklava is just way too sweet and sickly)
The feta snacks were fine (sometimes the hassle is worth it!), next time I’ll try the citrus pee-l sounds fab.
PS I vowed next time I would use the non-frozen filo which I have seen in our local Turkish shop.
Kay–could you assemble these at home and bring them on a sheet pan to a gathering and bake them there or would they either mush out from the filling or dry out as Vanessa mentioned above? At the very least I could probably do everything except assembly and baking and do that in my friend’s kitchen. Yes?
@Kim:
I think that should be doable, but don’t pin me down on that. I would probably cover them with a damp towel or something to prevent the phyllo from drying out, but I think it wouldn’t be a problem.
These look delicious! I love the idea of the honey that one of the commenters mentioned. Will definitely be trying these soon!
Oh lovely new snacks to have with our moonshine ;)!!
Some words like (but not limited to) Greek, lemon and feta always keep getting my attention! :)
I have to admit that my first reaction after reading “phyllo dough” was “Oh Oh…”. I just started to cook and tried to make baklava several times (from a recipe), but the phyllo top is way too crunchy. Dunno if I put it in the oven too long or doing something wrong with the phyllo… Next time I’ll shorten the baking time. Maybe I should ask after trying this recipe, but could it be something with defrosting the phyllo (I use the same brand)? I just defrost it in the package for nearly 2 hours. I also heard some about defrosting under a wet towel? Any tips are welcome…
Anyway, wanted to say I’m surely gonna try these And that I like your blog with nice recipes, photo’s and stories. Thank you and keep them coming! :)
Are you coming to Turkey? To Istanbul? I live in Turkey. If you need any information please send me a note. I am sure that you will like Turkish food.
@ Umur:
From the looks of it we’ll be vacationing in Turkey this year, Belek! Near Antalya, I think?
Oh Kay, those look absolutely scrumptious! I know what I’m making next weekend!!
Hi!
You might look for the black sesame seeds where Asian ingredients are sold — that’s where I’ve seen them on occasion.
The last time I had a tasty feta borek was at the Rotterdam markt many moons ago .. I’ve yet to try my hand at making them myself so, I must get my brave girl pants on and go for it! This looks delicious ..
well I was amazed to see that you’ve got only one Greek recipe. I thought you had more in the past. Am I mistaken?! hmm.. anyway, If you need more, I’d be glad to help you publish them (always translated by me in english) so that more friends of yours read them and -why not- taste food from my country!
@Konstadina:
There is a Greek food section in the categories.
I know but I can see only two recipes… Am I doing sth wrong?!
@Konstadina:
There is a link at the bottom of the page that says “Older Posts”.
:) haha tired eyes see only the big letters! Sorry but I use them all year long for so many years the least was expected for them to get tired every now and then! Saw it right after! Thnx btw, even if you need more… my offer is always on the table!
Hi Kay !
I feel this is simillar to “Samosa”. U can find them in arab countries, India,pakistan etc… we call these sheets as samosa sheets. But the filling is mostly with minced meet (mainly with mutton). We fold it the same way u do.
These look absolutely scrumptious! We also have a similar treat in Lebanese cuisine, borrowed from the Ottoman no doubt; not as good as this one I think!
Hello from Thessaloniki,Greece,the most beautiful country in the whole world…!!!
I just discovered your blog and I was amazed by your recipes…!!!I am gonna try some of them really soon…
You know,I have my own food blog too…!
Kisses,Alexandra
I’ve been perusing your blog the last week or so, and I am going to have to try so may of these! It’s been difficult to find fellow food bloggers who focus on northern/eastern European dishes. I made these Tuesday night and by yesterday they were gone — I’d call that a hit! The only adjustments I made were using goat cheese instead of feta, no orange or pepper and basil instead of parsley. Oh, and chopped pine nuts. I’ll probably use asparagus next time. Anyway, can’t wait to read what you post next!