Taking cooking classes in Istanbul and Santorini was so much fun and we made a lot of really tasty dishes. Unfortunately, two of my favorite dishes were deep-fried. With Selin at Turkish Flavours we made these incredibly delicious borek stuffed with feta and spices. They were only a few ingredients which made them super easy and the flavors were incredible. While in Santorini at Nichteri, we made ntomatokeftedes which were essentially tomato fritters with mint and onions. Both dishes were so delicious, but I felt guilty about eating that much fried food.
Fortunately, I tried them both baked and they turned out just fine, you can check out the ntomatokeftedes and don’t forget to look at the baked feta & herb borek. (The baked feta & herb borek recipe also has step by step, picture instructions of how to roll the borek)
However, as I was experimenting with baking these two separately, I thought about how amazing they would taste if they were combined. Not to mention, while the ntomatokeftedes tasted great, they were not the most beautiful to look at dish, coving them with a crispy layer of phyllo dough took care of that problem! They came out looking and tasting so good- fresh, tangy and the addition of mint really took them to the next level!
- 2 Large Tomatoes
- ½ Small Onion
- 1 tsp Dried Mint
- 4 oz Feta
- 2-4 Tbsp Wheat Flour
- 1 package Phyllo Dough
- Small bowl or cup of water
- Olive Oil
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Coarsely chop the tomato.
- Finely chop the onion, mix in a bowl with the tomatoes, mint and feta.
- Squish together with your hands. Add about 2 Tbsp of wheat flour, just enough to absorb some of the moisture and hold the batter together. If you need more, add flour another tablespoon at a time.
- Lay the phyllo sheets out on clean surface one at a time (keep the others covered so they don’t dry out) and cut sheets in half lengthwise.
- Cut each half in half lengthwise again so you have four long strips.
- Place 1 tablespoon of filling on one corner of the phyllo dough.
- Fold the corner up diagonally so that it forms triangle, Selin called it folding a flag, Nick called it folding a paper football- whichever one makes more sense to you!
- Repeat the process, folding the lowest corner up diagonally until you have a small, triangular pastry.
- When you get to the end, dip your finger in the water and blot a little bit of water along the edge of the pastry to help seal the edge.
- Repeat until you have used all of the filling.
- Brush the top of each pastry with a tiny bit of olive oil (or spray with pan spray), place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve!
