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This is my second attempt to publish a Burek recipe in the magazine, the first having dropped (literally) at the test stadium.
But I now see that the universe had a plan, and this plan was: wait for a recipe for Helen Graham.
The dish on the tray she designed for the FT does brilliant things with what even the manufacturers of seasoned Burek may not have considered: the vegetables are roasted; The breathtaking garnish rather than finely chopped and there is a soft and sticky cast sauce to finish it as you would for Baklava.
It is so good that he is born of his own portmanteau: Bureklava.
Drink
Helen suggests Assyrtiko with high acid of Santorini or elsewhere in Greece, or Sauvignon Blanc de Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé.
Substitutions
Use honey instead of agave.
Advice
By coincidence, it was not the first Filo pastry recipe that we published that invented a portmanteau. Look for ft.com for “spanakopasta” to get Tom Jackson's recipe for a Spanakopita-pasta hybrid.
The leek of Helen Graham and Feta Bureklava with syrup
To serve four
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Preheat the oven to 180C (Assist Fan Assist). Place the vegetables on a lined baking sheet, mix the oil, salt and pepper, then roast for 30 minutes until they are golden and soft. Cancel.
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Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and whiten the spinach for 30 seconds, before rinsing in cold water. Pass all excess water, then roughly chop.
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Transfer to a large bowl to mix and add the feta, dill, basil, cumin, Nigella seeds, chili flakes, oil and garlic. Mix to combine.
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Now to assemble the pie. Lightly grease a tin or bulb glass box measuring about 20 cm x 30 cm with oil. Whisk the egg and oil together until they are carefully combined. Take a sheet of filo and, using a pastry brush, cover the whole sheet in the egg mixture, before laying on the bottom of the tin, bronzing slightly as you go. The sheet will be too large to adapt to the tin without offending – that's good. Repeat this twice until you have three layers below.
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Add half of the spinach mixture and half of the roasted vegetables, distributing evenly. Garnish with two filo sheets washed by the eggs, before adding the other roasted vegetables and the spinach mixture.
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Garnish with two other filo sheets washed by eggs, ensuring that they are also slightly brown – this will help make it more crisp. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, as well as a little nigella and cumin, then cook for 40 minutes until they are golden and crisp.
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Add all the ingredients of lemon syrup to a small saucepan, stir and bring to a boil. Cook eight to 10 minutes, until the syrup is half reduced.
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Slice and attend the pie then water lemon syrup to serve.
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