"The trick with filo is to make sure you keep it damp; these sheets dry out in record time and it will be impossible to roll and coil them without serious breakages."
Galler advises keeping the sheets under a moist tea towel and only taking them out as you need them.
She finds it is delicious served hot or at room temperature with a big dollop of minted yoghurt.
The book
Butter, Butter, by Petra Galler (Allen and Unwin, RRP $49.99)
Turkish Kol Boregi
Serves 8-10
3 zucchinis (approximately 500g)
1½ tsp flaky salt
40ml olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
½1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp sumac
200g feta, crumbled
¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
To season
salt and black pepper
To assemble
1 egg
2 Tbsp olive oil
105ml milk
12 sheets filo pastry
Sesame seed topping
1 egg
2 Tbsp olive oil
30g sesame seeds
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C fan-bake. Grease and line a 25cm ovenproof frypan.
For the filling, grate the zucchinis and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes; this helps draw all the moisture out. Squeeze to get as much liquid out as possible — we don’t want any soggy filo happening here.
Heat the oil in a large frypan and saute the onion, garlic, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and sumac until softened and fragrant; about 6-8 minutes. Add the drained zucchini to the pan and cook for a further 2-3 minutes before removing from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Gently fold the feta, herbs and zest through the cooled zucchini mixture. Season to taste.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg, oil and milk until combined. Set aside.
Lay three pieces of filo on top of each other and brush generously with the milk mixture. Place roughly a quarter of the filling in a line following the longest edge nearest you. Gently roll into a cylinder, brushing the edge with a little more of the milk mixture so it seals firmly. Gently twist the filo into a coil and place in the middle of the prepared baking dish. Brush with the milk mixture once more.
Repeat three more times with the next 9 filo sheets and filling, coiling them around each other in the dish to make a large spiral. Make sure to brush the tops and sides of each coil with the milk mixture; this is also handy if you need to patch up any broken pastry.
For the topping, whisk the egg and oil together in a small bowl and brush all over the pastry before sprinkling with sesame seeds.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. Cool briefly in the pan before slicing into generous wedges.
