The Boureka. The weekend is for special treats like these 😄 These don’t really need any selling- it’s cheese, spinach all wrapped up in puff pastry. Daryl and I loved these when we went to Serbia so it was the perfect excuse to cook and talk about travel 😄
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You’ll find a version of bourekas in many Eastern European traditions.
The Armenians call them Cheese boureg. my family makes them with filo dough, cottage cheese, shredded Munster cheese, egg, and lots of parsley. It’s the ultimate comfort food for an Armenian, something my grandma and I would make for every celebration. Standing for 1.5 hours brushing butter and quietly folding up bouregs like flags. She always yelled at me for overstuffing them (I like the crispy cheese that oozes out while they bake) and I always yelled at her for under-stuffing them. She knew out to stretch everything! 😂
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Daryl said they would eat these for breakfast in Israel with salad and fresh cut cucumber and tomatoes. Fresh veg or salad is the perfect accompaniment to these crispy, buttery treats. I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. Thank you Daryl!
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Cheese Bourekas
Ingredients:
Makes 18
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* 1 package puff pastry (2 sheets)
* 1 egg for egg wash
* Sesame seeds
Filling:
* ½ package frozen spinach, thawed
* 3/4 cup feta, crumbled
* ⅓ cup ricotta
* 1 egg
* Pinch salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Place puff pastry in fridge night before if frozen.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Thaw spinach in microwave if frozen for 3-5 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze out liquid over the sink.
4. Mix spinach with remaining filling ingredients well.
5. In a large working space, roll out one sheet puff pastry just an inch or two longer than original. Not too thin. Keep square shape. Cut into 9 squares.
6. Place about 1 Tbsp. Filling in Center of each square. Use a little cold water on your finger to wet 2 sides of square. Bring together to form triangle. Press to seal. Use fork if needed. Place on baking tray lined with parchment. Don’t put more than 8 on small sheets.
7. Whip egg with a fork and before baking brush a little egg on top of bourekas and sprinkle with sesame.
8. Place in oven middle rack and bake 30 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Done when golden brown throughout.
You can also freeze them for later. Don’t bake or put egg wash before. When you’re ready, pop them straight into the oven from the freezer.
More recipes by Daryl:
