Yeah. I know. I’m reviving a four-years-latent blog. Shut up.
Leek & Feta Bourek
Yields one 12-inch bourek, enough for a modest dinner/healthy lunch for 4
8 ounces phyllo pastry sheets, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator & brought to room temperature
2 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
1 pound leeks, washed & sliced thinly
1/2 t salt
1 T dried oregano
2 t smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 c baby spinach leaves, chopped roughly
Ground pepper to taste
8 ounces feta, crumbled (use full fat if you can, it’s absolutely worth it)
For assembly:
3 T unsalted butter, melted
3 T olive oil
Preheat oven to 375F, & oil a 12-inch round pan – I used a cake pan, but you can use anything oven-safe with a solid bottom (no springforms/tart pans) at least 1 inch deep.
Heat the butter & oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, & add the leeks & salt. Saute, stirring frequently, until the leeks are very soft & starting to gently brown, about 10 minutes. Add the seasonings & spinach, lower the heat a little, & stir & cook until the spinach is wilted. The mixture should be moist, but not wet – if there’s a lot of moisture in the pan, raise the heat again & cook off some of it for a minute or two. Transfer leek mixture to a bowl & let cool 10 minutes before adding the feta & stirring gently just to combine. Add pepper to taste.
Unwrap & unroll the defrosted phyllo & cover it immediately with a layer of moist paper towels or a damp tea towel – keep it covered at all times or it will dry out & split & be a complete pain in the butt. Combine the melted butter & oil & have ready a large soft pastry brush. Arrange the prepared baking pan in easy reach, with the phyllo, oil/butter, & filling at the ready.
Place one sheet of phyllo horizontally on your work surface & quickly brush with oil & butter – it doesn’t have to be sopping, just a few generous swipes with the brush. Spread about 3 T of filling in a rough line along the bottom of the phyllo – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Add another sheet of phyllo to cover the first, & brush this one with oil & butter as well.
Working gently & quickly, start at the bottom edge & roll the phyllo into a cylinder, enclosing the filling. Coil it into a spiral & place it in the center of your prepared pan. Continue with more phyllo & filling, continuing the spiral to fill the pan – you should use all the phyllo & filling, so pack things in firmly.
When you’ve filled the pan & run out of phyllo & filling, gently brush the remaining oil over the top of your bourek & slide it in the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until very golden brown with no pale doughy spots left in the phyllo. Cool on a rack for ten minutes or so before serving, cut into wedges. Bourek is super good with a fresh crunchy salad & some olives.
You can totally experiment with other fillings – finely chopped mushrooms, ground meat/TVP, fresh herbs, harissa paste, leftover mashed potatoes, go nuts!
She’s back! She’s fuckin’ back! [dancing Tarantella]
From: Butter & Eggs To: chilablvr@yahoo.com Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2019 3:53 PM Subject: [New post] Leek and Feta Bourek #yiv7505754972 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv7505754972 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv7505754972 a.yiv7505754972primaryactionlink:link, #yiv7505754972 a.yiv7505754972primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv7505754972 a.yiv7505754972primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv7505754972 a.yiv7505754972primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E !important;color:#fff !important;}#yiv7505754972 WordPress.com | Hayley posted: “Yeah. I know. I’m reviving a three-years-latent blog. Shut up.Leek & Feta BourekYields one 12-inch bourek, enough for a modest dinner/healthy lunch for 48 ounces phyllo pastry sheets, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator & broug” | |
oh. my. goodness. that. looks. so. good!!!!!!
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