Borek Recipe

Prepare spinach

Wash the spinach thoroughly. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chopped onion and cook 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the spinach in batches, stirring until wilted and any liquid has mostly evaporated, about 4–6 minutes total. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Drain and chop

Place the wilted spinach and onions into a fine sieve or clean kitchen towel and press/ squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop the drained spinach mixture. Excess moisture will make the filling soggy, so aim to remove most liquid.

Combine filling ingredients

Crumble the feta into a bowl. Add the chopped spinach mixture, 1 beaten egg, chopped dill (or parsley), salt, black pepper, and nutmeg if using. Stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning — remember feta is salty, so you may want less added salt.

Prepare pastry

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lightly butter a baking sheet or line with parchment. Lay out one sheet of filo on a clean work surface and cover the unused sheets with a damp towel so they don’t dry out. Brush the filo sheet lightly with melted butter. Layer a second sheet on top and brush again. Repeat until you have 3–4 layers for each portion you will make (see shaping options below).

Shape borek (triangles)

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-feta filling near one short end of the layered filo rectangle. Fold the corner over the filling to make a triangle; continue folding the pastry triangle along its length (like folding a flag) until you reach the end. Brush the outside of the triangle with melted butter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining filo and filling. You should make roughly 10–12 small triangles depending on how much filling you use per piece.

Alternative: roll or tray borek

Alternatively, for a tray version, layer 6–8 filo sheets (brushing each with butter) in an oiled baking pan, spread the filling evenly, then top with remaining filo sheets, brushing each with butter. Score the top into serving pieces before baking and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Finish and bake

Brush all assembled borek with remaining melted butter (and a little olive oil if desired) and sprinkle sesame seeds on top if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes for small triangles, or 30–40 minutes for tray borek, until the pastry is deeply golden and crisp. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.