Leek with Feta “Börek” Pie

Season

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Dietary

Vegetarian

Recipe by Annabelle Randles

This is my take on Börek, a filo pastry dish from Turkey. I used seasonal leeks instead of spinach and added some mint.
This Leek with Feta “Börek” Pie is straightforward. Don’t get overwhelmed when you put it all together. Think of it as lasagna.
This dish is best served with a salad and it makes great leftovers the next day that can be eaten cold. You can make it in a rectangular, square or round dish. Just make sure you have at least 3 layers of filo pastry at the bottom so it is easy to cut and serve.

Ingredients

700 g leeks – finely chopped
1 red onion – finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves – crushed

From the cupboard

200 g Feta cheese
2 Tbsp dry mint
8-12 Filo pastry sheet
3 organic eggs +1 beaten organic egg for pastry brushing
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp olive oil + extra for brushing
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Heat some salted water in a large saucepan. When the water is boiling, add the finely chopped leeks and blanch for 3 mins. Drain leeks and reserve on the side.
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chopped red onion with sugar and vinegar. Fry for 5 mins or so until the onion has caramelised.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
Add the crushed garlic and leeks to the frying pan. Cook for 5 mins under medium heat.
Add the mint and crumbled feta cheese. Blend well. Remove from heat and season to taste.
Beat three eggs in a separate bowl. Add the beaten eggs to the leeks and mix until everything is well blended.
Line a rectangular dish (24 x 34cm) with a baking sheet.
Put 1 layer of filo pastry at the bottom (you probably will have to use 2 sheets as you want the pastry to overhang so you can fold it over the pie at the end). Brush with oil. Add another layer of Filo pastry on top. Brush with oil. Add another layer of filo pastry on top. This will create a solid base for the pie so it can be cut easily to serve.
Add one third of the leek mixture. Cover with 2 sheets of filo pastry. Brush with oil.
Repeat the previous step twice more until all the filling has been used.
Fold overhanging filo pastry on top of the pie to seal it and brush with oil.
Brush some beaten egg on top of the pie.
Put in the oven for 25-30 mins until golden.