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Her Majesty's Spinach Borek




Source of Recipe


Queen Noor of Jordan to accompany her book, ‘‘Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life.''


Recipe Introduction


(a pastry appetizer)


List of Ingredients




For the dough

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup warm water
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
dash of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the filling

1½ pounds fresh spinach, or 1 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground white pepper
1½ tablespoons sumac, see note below

For the egg wash

1 egg yolk
¼ cup milk



Recipe



Note: Sumac, a dark red powder, is generally used as a ‘‘souring'' agent in Middle Eastern dishes. Made from the dried berry of a Mediterranean sumac tree, its taste is slightly sour with citrus overtones. It's available at www.thecmccompany.com, featuring ‘‘hard-to-find ingredients for the serious cook.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the dough: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Mix the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and yeast mixture and knead until a soft ball forms. Cover the dough with a cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.

To make the filling: For fresh spinach, cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain fresh or frozen spinach well by pressing in a colander, squeezing out excess moisture by hand, and finally rolling in paper towels or a clean dishtowel and wringing dry. After drying, chop fresh spinach coarsely.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Saute onions until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, salt, white pepper and sumac. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, drain off any liquid and allow to cool.

To make the pastries: Cut the dough into 5 equal parts and roll into balls. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough balls to between ¼ - and 1/8-inch thickness. Place one-fifth of the filling in the center of each pastry. Lift three sides of the dough and seal together on top to form a triangle.

Make an egg wash by lightly beating the egg yolk into milk. Arrange the pastries on a greased baking tray. Brush the top with egg wash and bake until the crust is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 5 servings.