Borek is always a staple order for my friends and I when we visit any sort of mezze restaurant. As I have mentioned before, any sort of stuffed bread or pastry makes me so happy and I have always loved these little moreish parcels since I was a child. Strangely, this is the first time I have attempted to make my own and it was so simple that I wondered why I had never tried to make them before. I have chosen to make two fillings here: since most of my family are vegetarians I have opted for the traditional feta and herb stuffing as well as a spicy Quorn version. Actually, as a meat lover I was pleasantly suprised by the tastiness of the Quorn mince, it has a very good ability to soak up flavours plus it is much lower in fat, however if you do want to make a meat version lamb/beef is a very good substitute.

For the Borek:

You will need:

1 packet (about 100g) of filo pastry sheets

4 tbsp olive oil

1 beaten egg/some milk for glazing

sesame seeds (optional)

For the Cheese Filling:

You will need:

100g feta cheese

100g riccota cheese

50g grated mild cheddar/mozzarella

1 egg lightly beaten

1 spring onion, finely chopped

bunch of mint, finely chopped

bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

black pepper to taste

For the Quorn (or meat) filling:

You will need:

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tsp butter

1 egg, ligthly beaten

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp paprika

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp ground cinammon

1 onion, finely chopped

fresh parsely, finely chopped

friesh corriander, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

150g quorn mince

1 tsp ricotta (tip: you only really need to add this if you are using quorn mince as it is low in fat  and therefore a little dry, adding ricotta will therefore help to add moisture. If you don’t have any ricotta just add a bit more butter or olive oil.)

First make the cheese filling by mixing all the cheese filling ingredients together in a bowl. Put in the fridge to set for about 10 mins. To make the Quorn/meat filling, fry the onions in the oil till soft then add the garlic. Next add in the Quorn mince and spices and fry for a further 1 minute. Finally add the fresh herbs and take of the heat. Stir in the egg and leave aside. Next cut the filo into rectangular strips about 6 inches by 8 inches, or into 24 equal rectangles. Put a heaped teaspoon on one corner of the rectangle and fold it over to make a traingle shape. Keep folding the pastry over itself then seal the ends with oil. Place the boreks on a greased baking tray and glaze with milk or a beaten egg, sprinkle with seasme seeds for decoration. Cook in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for around 30mins or until they are golden brown. Serve warm. This recipe makes about 12 of each filling.

Nutritional Information:

For one cheese borek:

Calories: 88 kcal

Fat: 4.8g

Protein: 9.1 g

Carbohydrates: 5.0g

For one Quorn borek:

Calories: 60 kcal

Fat: 5.0g

Protein: 3.0 g

Carbohydrates: 3.6 g