Cheese Borags Armenia Recipes

MICHAEL ARAM'S CHEESE BOEREGS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cheeses, parsley, salt, eggs, and baking powder until well-combined.
• Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before using. Unwrap the dough. Note: once fillo dough is exposed to air, it dries out very quickly, becomes brittle and is impossible to use. Be sure to have plastic wrap and a lightly dampened kitchen towel ready to cover the dough to keep it pliable while you fold the boeregs.
• Fold each sheet in half (or in thirds, depending on size of the sheet) lengthwise. Brush dough surface generously with melted butter.
• For each boereg, place a spoonful of filling at the end of the folded dough that's closest to you. Begin folding, as though you were folding a flag - on the diagonal from corner to corner, creating a triangular shape. If there is extra dough at the top, just trim it off or tuck it under.
• Continue to do this until you run out of filling - or - dough.
• Keep the folded boeregs covered with plastic wrap. NOTE: At this point, you can prepare the boeregs for freezing by placing them in a plastic container large enough to hold the amount you are preparing, making sure you use plastic wrap or waxed paper between each stacked layer to prevent the boeregs from sticking together. Cover tightly with the lid, label, date, & freeze.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place boeregs on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

BORAGS

Steps:

• Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before using. Once fillo dough is exposed to air, it dries out very quickly, becomes brittle, and is impossible to use. Be sure to have plastic wrap and a damp towel ready to cover the dough to keep it pliable while you fold the borags.
• If using large fillo sheets, cut the fillo dough in half, lengthwise. Use one half sheet for each borag. Cover the other sheets first with plastic wrap, then the damp towel, while folding each borag.
• Fold each half sheet in half lengthwise. Brush surface with melted butter.
• For each borag, place a spoonful of filling at the end of the folded dough that's closest to you. Begin folding, as though you were folding a flag - on the diagonal from corner to corner, creating a triangular shape. If there is extra dough at the top, just trim it off or tuck it under.
• Continue to do this until you run out of filling - or dough.
• Keep the folded borags covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
• Melt about ½ stick (or more) of unsalted butter.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Brush the top of each borag with melted butter.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Return leftover fillo it to its original wrapper, seal it tightly, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Leftover cheese filling can be spread on bread then heated under the broiler. There's raw egg in the mixture, so cook before eating!
• Use the same cheese filling as above.
• Instead of using regular fillo dough sheets, use prepared mini-fillo cups (sold in packages of 15). They can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
• Fill each cup almost to the top with the filling. The amount of cheese filling given in this recipe will fill about 3 boxes of the mini-fillo cups - or - about 45.
• Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 - 12 minutes.

CHEESE BORAGS (ARMENIA)

Steps:

• Mix the three cheeses with the egg. Set aside.
• Cover the phyllo dough with a piece of plastic wrap, then put a damp towel over the plastic wrap. This helps prevent drying.
• Take one sheet of Phyllo and fold it in half. Brush the folded sheet with melted butter.
• Put a spoonful of the filling onto the lower right corner of the sheet.
• Now fold the sheet over the filling, from corner to corner, as if you were folding a flag. You should have a triangle. Fold again, and one more time. Trim off any excess dough.
• Repeat until you have used all the filling.
• Brush the top of each borag with melted butter, then bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the borags turn a golden brown color. Serve hot.