Butternut squash börek
A Turkish-inspired filo pastry pie made with sweet and nutty squash – although it also works perfectly with pumpkin. Finished with a garlic and harissa oil and served with light and silky whipped feta, it combines sweetness, salt and spice.
Ingredients
For the borek
- 800g/1lb 12oz butternut squash or pumpkin (prepared weight)
- 125ml/4½fl oz olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1½ tbsp harissa paste
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 40g/1½oz fine bulgur wheat, cooked according to packet instructions
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú sultanas or raisins
- 4 spring onions
- ½ bunch dill
- 270–300g packet filo pastry
- 1 garlic clove
- freshly ground black pepper
For the whipped feta
- 200g/7oz feta
- 175g/6oz Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest only, grated
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9.
Peel and chop the squash into 2cm/¾in pieces and place in a roasting tray with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, half a teaspoon of sea salt, a good pinch of freshly ground black pepper, the ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the harissa paste and the sugar. Toss together well and spread out into one even layer.
Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until the squash is soft when poked with a knife and begins to char around the edges.
Remove from the oven, spoon into a bowl, and leave to cool. When the squash has cooled, stir in the bulgur wheat and sultanas or raisins.
Trim and finely chop the spring onions and dill. Add the spring onions and half the dill to the bowl and mix together, crushing and mashing the squash pieces with the back of the spoon.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Brush a 23cm/9in springform cake tin with a little oil.
To make the borek, lay out a sheet of filo, the longest side nearest to you, and brush with oil, then top with another sheet. Spoon one-third of the mixture in a line about 4cm/¾in above the bottom edge of the pastry, then brush the pastry with more oil. Roll the pastry and filling up like a cigar then curl it into a swirl; this is the center of your pie.
Place the filled swirl in the middle of the cake tin. Repeat the filling and rolling process with the remaining sheets of filo and filling, adding each length to the pie spiral, so you have a coiled snake effect.
Brush the entire pie with a little more oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until crisp and deep golden brown.
To make the whipped feta, blend together the feta and yoghurt with a stick blender, then stir through extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and add the lemon zest.
While the pie is baking, make the finishing oil. Crush the garlic in its skin with the side of your knife and place in a small pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gently fry over low heat for 4 minutes or until fragrant, ensuring it doesn't burn.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the remaining half tablespoon of harissa. Leave to cool.
When the pie is ready, brush with the harissa oil, discard the garlic clove, and leave the pie to stand for at least 15 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with the remaining chopped dill, with the whipped feta alongside.
