Börek, a Turkish lasagna with spinach and cheese with a lot of personality

For 6 € 2.4 /pers. 451 kcal/100g

Börek is one of those little-known recipes in our country because it is not typical of our borders, but it is definitely a marvel of Turkish gastronomy. We could define this pasta recipe as a kind of Turkish lasagna , very similar to the Greek recipe for spanakopita or spinach, raisin and feta cheese pie. Although the textures of the 2 recipes are similar, the flavor differs a little.

The preparation is quite simple: we fill a pasta with different types of cheese that give rise to a spectacular salty cake . The best thing is that it is not complicated to repair at all. Furthermore, accompanied by a good yogurt sauce , this Turkish delight takes on even more nuances.

Those of you who are most fond of the blog will already be familiar with Turkish gastronomy . Not long ago we brought you some of their most emblematic recipes, such as balaklava , menmen or çiblir . In addition to being super delicious, today’s recipe has in common with those mentioned the versatility it has (come on, all of these dishes are appealing at any time).

Preparation of the börek

1. First of all, we will preheat the oven to 180º C.
2. Cook the spinach in a saucepan with plenty of water and salt, drain the water very well. We reserve.
3. Next, we are going to grease a baking tray with a little butter and toast the walnuts and cashews. When they have been toasted, we are going to chop them into small pieces.
4. Next, we have to mix the milk together with the eggs, parsley, dill and cheeses. Using a fork will be enough to beat a little, but then it is advisable to use a few whisks to homogenize the dough well. When we have a good mixture, we add the nuts and drained spinach.
5. The next thing will be to grease a mold with a little oil and place six sheets of filo pastry so that the edges are outside. We will put the mixture on the sheets of the mold and cover with another six sheets of filo pastry. We have to make a kind of cord with the edge: this way we will ensure that the mixture does not leak out. We roll the entire dough and place it in a spiral shape in a baking container.
6. Now we melt a little butter and paint the pasta with it. At this point, the oven will already be hot, we bake in the oven at 200º C in the central tray with heat up and down, for 35 minutes until golden and crispy. It has to be very golden brown (about half an hour depending on the oven, with the appearance in the photo).
7. While it is done, we take the opportunity to make the yogurt sauce. Once baked, we let it rest for about 10 minutes. We can sprinkle with sesame seeds optionally, before baking or after.

Preparation of the yogurt sauce

1. In the blender glass we add all the ingredients. Add the  natural yogurts , the peeled garlic, the extra virgin olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, salt, freshly ground black pepper and the mint leaves.
2. We can leave a few leaves without adding to decorate the sauce once crushed. We can replace natural yogurts with natural Greek yogurts. This way we will have a sauce with greater thickness and consistency.

With this, we will have the cheese börek and the delicious yogurt sauce ready . You see that it doesn’t take much effort, but the result is as delicious as the most elaborate recipe.

The best thing about this recipe is the great possibilities it offers. Many versions suggest making a filling of feta cheese and spinach, but another great idea could be to fill the böreks with a spinach béchamel .

Of course, another great option could be to introduce some meat to give this pasta a little more substance. What will you fill the böreks with? Traditional recipe or are you going to experiment?