Bourekas Recipes

EASY CHEESE BOUREKAS (DAIRY)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, mix the egg, cheese, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 5-inch squares.
• Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling in each square.
• Dampen the edges of the squares with water, and fold in half diagonally to form triangular pastries.
• Pinch the edges together to seal the filling inside.
• Brush the tops of the bourekas with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the pastries are puffed and golden, and the filling is cooked through. Serve immediately.

CHEESE BOUREKAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Beat 1 egg in a medium bowl, and mix in the cheese. Season with parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
• On a lightly floured surface, cut each sheet of puff pastry into 6 equal squares to give 12 squares in total. Beat the remaining egg with water in small bowl. Brush edges of each square lightly with egg wash. Place a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the center of each square. Fold pastry over the filling, and seal edges with a fork. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, brush with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

SPINACH BOUREKAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine dough ingredients, adding the flour gradually until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
• Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, saute scallions and garlic in oil. Remove from heat and let cool, then add remaining filling ingredients and stir to mix.
• Form the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten to be 1/8 inch thick. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each. Fold in half to make a half-moon shape and press on edges to seal. Place on a greased or nonstick baking tray.
• Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
• Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

BOUREKI (A RECIPE FROM CRETE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (170C).
• Put the zucchini, potato and onion into a deep bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to taste (careful! the cheese will have lots of salt don't use too much), all the grated cheese, mint, garlic, olive oil, and toss to coat all slices.
• Pour this mixture into a greased (olive oil) 13 X 9" pyrex baking dish (this doesn't have to be pretty- it won't show much when baked and sliced- taste is everything!).
• Press down with palms of hands to compact somewhat. Carefully pour 1/4 cup water over top.
• Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. (if boureki appears to be too dry during baking, you can add up to 1/4 cup more water - but careful, the zucchini and potatoes will also release liquid during baking).
• Allow to cool 15 minutes before cutting into.

BUREKAS - MY FAVORITE BREAKFAST PASTRIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom of a cookie sheet with some of the melted butter.
• 3. Take a sheet of phyllo and cut lengthwise in strips, 4 1/2 inches wide. Butter the strips, fold over lengthwise, butter again, and place a tablespoon of filling on the end. Then fold up right to left as you would a flag, so that the end result is a plump triangle, buttering the outside at the end. Repeat with the remaining filling and dough. Beat the egg, brush the burekas with it, and sprinkle sesame seeds over the tops.
• 4. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden in color.
• NOTE You can also mold and freeze the burekas after forming. Defrost for 2 hours and then bake. You can fill any leftover phyllo with chocolate chips or Nutella and make triangular treats.
• THREE WAYS TO FILL A BUREKA
• Spinach Filling
• Yield: About 2 cups, enough filling for about 20 burekas
• 2 pounds fresh spinach or Swiss chard leaves, washed well, or two 10-ounce packages chopped frozen spinach 2 large eggs, beaten lightly 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 8 scallions, diced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1. Place the fresh spinach or Swiss chard leaves in a frying pan with only the water that clings to the leaves, and cook briefly until they wilt. (If using frozen spinach, simply defrost.) Drain very well, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Cool and chop.
• 2. Mix together the eggs, feta and cheddar cheeses, parsley, dill, and scallions. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
• 3. Use about 1 tablespoon of filling for each bureka.
• Eggplant Filling
• Yield: About 2 cups, enough filling for about 20 burekas
• 2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds) 1/3 cup kasseri or feta cheese, crumbled 1/3 cup grated sheep or mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley Salt to taste
• 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prick the skin of the eggplants all over and roast on an oiled cookie sheet for 25 minutes, turning occasionally.
• 2. Remove the pulp from the skin, discarding the seeds and draining off any extra liquid. Cool slightly, then pat dry and coarsely chop. Combine the eggplant pulp, cheeses, and cilantro or parsley and mash well with a fork; add salt if needed.
• 3. Use about 1 tablespoon of filling for each bureka.
• Cheese Filling
• Yield: About 2 cups, enough filling for about 20 burekas
• 2 large eggs 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1 cup crumbled feta cheese Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the cheddar and feta cheeses and pepper to taste. Mix well.
• 2. Use about 1 tablespoon of filling for each bureka.
• Joan Nathan shares her tips with Epicurious: •These pastries came to Israel with Sephardic Jews from Turkey and Greece. The first filling is more Greek-influenced, while the other two are more Turkish. •Nathan recommends a high-quality Greek feta cheese and a sharp cheddar for the fillings. •After folding up the burekas flag-style, be sure to pinch around the edges of each pastry to avoid filling spilling out during baking.

SPINACH AND FETA BOUREKAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach, shallots, and garlic; cook and stir until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat; strain off any excess water. Stir in salt and pepper, set aside to cool to room temperature., On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Cut each sheet into 4 squares. In a small bowl, combine feta and ricotta; stir in spinach mixture. Spoon cheese mixture diagonally over half of each square to within 1/2 in. of edges. Brush pastry edges with egg. Fold one corner over filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle; press edges with a fork to seal. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush remaining egg over pastries; sprinkle with seasoning blend. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

POTATO-FETA BOUREKAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in center. Place potato on rack; bake until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, remove potato skin and mash until smooth. Combine 1 cup mashed potato with feta and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk 1 egg; stir into mixture.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a rectangle; cut into six 4-inch squares. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in corner of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Whisk remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush borders with egg wash; fold dough over filling and press edges to seal, forming triangles. Crimp edges with a floured fork. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut vents in each pastry. Arrange turnovers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, 20 minutes (or, wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days).
• Brush turnovers with egg wash; sprinkle with seeds. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until deep golden brown and puffed, 25 to 27 minutes. Transfer using parchment to a wire rack; let cool completely.