Spinach and Feta Briks
These spinach and feta-stuffed briks are similar to Turkish borek and Greek spanakopita. Briks are made with warka, a unique pastry sheet, also sold as ouarka or feuilles de brick. It is similar to filo dough, but with a lighter, lacier texture and it’s easier to work with. Unlike classic briks, these are baked, not fried. They also make a wonderful appetizer when made as miniatures! If you have one, an oil mister is a great tool for this recipe. If not, you can brush the tops of the briks with oil before baking them.
— 4 briks (or 16 appetizer-sized briks)
*Items marked in green are available from The Gourmet Corner.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
- 6 oz feta cheese, finely crumbled
- 1/4 tsp dried dill weed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 sheetsFeuilles de Brick, thawed
- Olive oil
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Spinach Filling
Thaw the spinach and squeeze as much moisture as possible out of it — if the spinach is wet, the briks will be soggy!
In a medium skillet, sauté the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil over gentle heat until it is lightly browned. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in the chopped spinach, making sure that all clumps are broken up. Add the feta and stir until evenly distributed. Sprinkle with dill, salt, and fresh-ground pepper, then mix well again. At this point the filling can be refrigerated for 1-2 days until needed.
Making the Briks
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Place one warka leaf on a flat surface with its parchment sheet under it. Lightly spray or brush with olive oil. Place 1/4 the filling in a 5″ strip about 2 inches from the bottom of the warka leaf. Using the parchment sheet to help manipulate the warka leaf, fold the bottom of the leaf over the filling then fold the left and right sides in to the width of the filling (essentially, fold it the way you would a burrito). Roll the brik up and deposit it on the oiled baking sheet, seam side down.
Fill and roll the remaining 3 warka leaves the same way. Lightly spray or brush assembled briks with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve while hot, with lemon wedges.
Variation: Spinach and Feta Brik Appetizers
These are made the same way as entree sized briks, except cut the warka leaves into quarters. Divide the filling into 4 parts. Place a quarter-leaf of warka on a flat surface, pointed end closest to you. Lightly spray or brush with olive oil.
Put 1/4 of one part filling in a small mound on the warka, placing it ~2 inches from the point of the leaf. Fold the point up and over the filling, fold the sides in, then roll up into a tidy packet. Place on an oiled baking sheet, seam side down.
Bake the miniature briks for 20-25 minutes at 350°. Serve while hot, accompanied by lemon wedges.
September 29th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
[...] anything; this recipe is for classic fried Tunisian tuna-and-egg briks. We are also providing a spinach-feta brik recipe in which the briks are baked. Both are [...]