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Kol Böreği Filo Spiral Recipe

Kol Böreği – A Spinach And Cheese Börek Spiral

A couple of days ago, we went to Fethiye market to buy some yufka (filo pastry) so we could make kol böreği – a filo spiral.

Over the years, we’ve developed a love of cooking and have stopped buying many of the ready prepared goodies that we used to buy from the shelves and deli counters.

It’s amazing how much money it’s saved us, too.

We’ve posted some of our recipes for homemade dips such as antep ezmesi (a Turkish spicy tomato dip), cacık (refreshing yoghurt and cucumber) and hummus, amongst others.

If we’re responsible for what goes into these creations, we can’t complain if the taste isn’t quite right!

However, there are some things in the world of Turkish Cuisine that are best left to those who know exactly what they’re doing – the expert – the yufkacı.

I am truly grateful to all those skilful Turkish people who produce the countless sheets of yufka (such as the lady at Fethiye market) for people like me to use, eat and enjoy.

Yufka truly is wonderful stuff.

This Turkish kol böreği is made up from pleasant börek eating experiences we’ve enjoyed while being in Turkey.

At Fethiye otogar, I once had a small, coiled börek – gül böreği – with a cheese and parsley filling. I’d never seen börek presented like this before and I loved the pattern the coils made.

One time in Istanbul, I had perhaps my favourite börek experience when I had a hot, spinach-filled pastry for breakfast. Chillies galore!

So this spicy cheese and spinach pastry is based on those experiences.

Turkish Recipe For Spinach & Cheese Börek Spiral

Spinach And Cheese Börek Spiral
Our ingredients for the spinach and cheese börek

First of all, grease a large baking tray and prepare your ingredients for the filling. How much you prepare depends on how big you want your börek to be. Mine finished up around 30 cms in diameter.

Spinach And Cheese Börek, Kol Böreği
You can mix your cheese into the spinach in the pan
  • Chop an onion and a handful of chillies (if you’re going the spicy route) and fry them gently for a few minutes.
  • Roughly chop around 250g of spinach and once the onion is nicely softened, add the spinach, salt, pepper and a generous sprinkling of paprika.
  • Once the spinach is wilted, take the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool down.
  • When the mixture is cool, add 3 or 4 handfuls of börek cheese and stir it all together. (Crumbled feta cheese will suffice if you can’t get börek cheese.)

How To Spiral Your Börek

Now it’s time to start the fun bit.

In Turkey, yufka is made in rather large round sheets of around half a metre in diameter. You need three of these.

Yufka is a slightly thicker version of phyllo pastry.

Spinach And Cheese Pastry Spiral
Work with fresh yufka where possible

I have never worked with phyllo pastry so if you are using it, you need to judge how many sheets you need to use and you may have to double them up.

  • First of all, beat an egg and mix a glug of olive oil into it.
  • Take a sheet of yufka and cut it in half.
  • Place it on a flat surface with the curved end away from you and brush some of the egg mixture around the curved edge.
  • Take 3 or 4 heaped teaspoons of your spicy cheese and spinach mixture and place it about an inch above the flat edge of your yufka. Thin the mixture out so it lines end to end.
  • Start to roll the yufka (carefully) and keep going until you have a long thin sausage shape.
  • Transfer it to your greased baking try and form a coil, brushing with the egg to help it to stick together.
  • Take the other half of the yufka sheet and repeat the steps. All you do now is keep rolling and brushing and coiling until you run out of room on your baking tray.
  • Preheat the oven to around 200 degrees and bake your fantastic creation for 20 minutes or until it looks golden.
Kol Borek, Spinach And Cheese
Kol böreği, whatever the filling, always impresses

Either serve it straight away or eat it cold. We’ve enjoyed the best of both worlds as we’ve had the leftovers for lunch.

If you’re in Turkey, use the freshest yufka you can get your hands on.

Don’t use the vacuum packed variety as it dries out as soon as you open the packet and you won’t be able to roll it without it cracking.

For other pastry recipes and traditional dishes, check out our Turkish recipes collection.

November 25, 2010 by Turkey's For Life 25 Comments

Filed Under: Börek Tagged With: Spinach, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Yesim

    November 25, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    i love any kinda börek, spinachi and cheese combo s perfect;)

    Reply
  2. Turkey's For Life

    November 25, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    I think I’m becoming addicted too Yesim! 🙂

    Reply
  3. eatgreek.net

    November 25, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    I love this kind of pies! actually here in Greece we call them “strefte” which means “twisted”! 😀

    Reply
  4. Peter M

    November 25, 2010 at 4:00 pm

    Gorgeous! My mom makes Boureki and with hnadmade phyllo…an art!

    Reply
  5. Kimberly Peterson

    November 26, 2010 at 2:35 am

    Wowww another authentic and exotic recipe!! I am lovin’ it!!

    Reply
  6. Chef Dennis

    November 26, 2010 at 4:49 am

    That looks really good! I don’t know where I could get yufka around here, but now you got me wondering!
    Thanks for such a great post!
    Dennis

    Reply
  7. Turkey's For Life

    November 26, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    Eatgreek – we’re learning new things every day! 🙂
    Peter, Thanks. I reckon hand made phyllo is definitely an art!! That’s why we leave it to those who know how. 🙂
    Kimberly, not sure how authentic it is, but it’s close. It tasted good anyway. 🙂
    Dennis, I bet there are stores in your area that sell Middle Eastern, Turkish or Greek food? Or you could make your own?!! 🙂

    Reply
  8. tasteofbeirut

    November 27, 2010 at 7:02 am

    fantastic recipe! the only yufkas we get here are the frozen ones! do I need to learn how to make them from scratch> I dont mind!

    Reply
  9. ping

    November 27, 2010 at 9:55 am

    This looks fabulous! I’ve never had this before nor have I seen such a beautiful way of making it. It’s got all my favorite ingredients in it. Will have to try this out soon. Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Turkey's For Life

    November 27, 2010 at 11:20 am

    Taste of Beirut, I wouldn’t know where to start.
    Ping, thanks. The spinach is sooo good in this pastry.

    Reply
  11. Cherine

    November 27, 2010 at 1:18 pm

    This looks really awesome!

    Reply
  12. Dimah

    November 27, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    This sounds and looks wonderful!Love the flavors!
    Congrats on the top 9! 🙂

    Reply
  13. The Enchanted Cook

    November 27, 2010 at 7:37 pm

    Congrats on the Top 9! Looks so yummy!

    Reply
  14. Adelina

    November 27, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    This is soooo good. I want some right now.

    Reply
  15. Gozde

    November 27, 2010 at 9:29 pm

    Even locals who have lots of experience in the kitchen can’t manage to bake this borek so beautifully! Very impressive, well done! I discovered your blog thanks to foodbuzz and found it very interesting by the way. I can’t believe you can make things like Antep ezmesi and muhamara and you are English!:)

    Reply
  16. Green Girl @ A little bit of everything

    November 28, 2010 at 5:34 am

    your borek or snail pie as I call it looks so delicious. Reading your post I remember I have a unopened package of 3 yukfa sheets in the freezer ( I don’t always find them and buy lots when I do) Now I just have to buy the spinach and I’m enjoying it. Yummy.
    Congrats on making it to top 9

    Reply
  17. Turkey's For Life

    November 28, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Cherine, Dimah and Veronica, thanks a lot. Very happy! 🙂
    Adelina, we’re making some more because we enjoyed it so much.
    Gozde, thanks for finding us – and we’ve found you now as well! 🙂 Thank you for you lovely comment. We both love to cook all sorts of food.
    Green Girl – Thank you. Snail Pie? An interesting name for it. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Jake Olson

    November 29, 2010 at 11:16 am

    This looks amazing. I never would have thought that this style of borek is so manageable for someone not experienced in Borek making. When you reference “chillies” is there a certain pepper you buy for these, or just any Turkish hot pepper?

    Reply
  19. Turkey's For Life

    November 29, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    Jake, it’s easier than it looks. A good one for impresing friends 🙂 We always have something hot and spicy in the house. Flakes, powder, sauce, fresh. Usually all of them as we love spicy food. We use any of those, whatever mood we’re in, to give a kick to a dish.

    Reply
  20. AberdeenPeanut

    January 5, 2011 at 10:39 pm

    For the first time I spent Christmas and New Year in Turkey, also for the first time I had nobody else to cater for so did not have to go out to eat. I just want to say thank you for your recipes. I went with print outs of the recipes for borek, Turkish rice, mushroom risotto and kofte and made them all. Had great fun shopping for ingredients and cooking. Do you know how long fresh yufka keeps for as I was not sure whether to keep the leftover sheet and use it another day.

    Reply
  21. Turkey's For Life

    January 5, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    @ Aberdeen Peanut: Thanks for the lovely comment. Great to hear someone actually makes the food we post about. 🙂

    I’ve kept fresh yufka wrapped in paper (it sweats if you leave it in a plastic bag) for 3 days but it’s not easy to work with after that long as it loses its elasticity. I try to use it the day I buy it; if not, the day after.

    Reply
  22. Deniz Bevan

    July 9, 2011 at 3:43 am

    Ooh, you guys did it in the round! Mine was the flat version (http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/2010/09/recipe-for-borek.html). Yum yum!

    Reply
  23. Turkey's For Life

    July 9, 2011 at 6:40 am

    @ Deniz: We just thought it looked pretty that way. Will check yours out. 🙂

    Reply
  24. Lucyhg

    April 3, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    Just put my borek in the oven, it looks amazing and smells great! Lovely recipe, looking forwards to trying one in Turkey this August too! Thanks!

    Reply
  25. Turkey's For Life

    April 5, 2013 at 10:10 am

    @ Lucyhg: Hope you enjoyed your börek and hope you enjoy your time in Turkey in August, too. 🙂

    Reply

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