Cheese Bourekas

 

I had these wonderful things from a box of frozen ones from Trader Joe's. I knew I just had to make them myself.  Bourekas are traditional Jewish or Middle Eastern dish. The recipe I used is from Tori Avey and can be found HERE. To quote, "Bourekas originated in Asia as a deep-fried filled dumpling known as a burga. When the Turks of central Asia moved to what is now the country of Turkey, they brought their stuffed burga dumplings with them. Over time, the dumpling evolved into a variety of stuffed, layered pastries known as börek.

Sephardic Jews who settled in Turkey adopted the pastry, merging it with their version of the same dish (empanada) and adapting it to make it kosher. Börek + empanada = boureka. The boureka was born!"

 

Ingredients

 

2 sheets puff pastry (you can also use filo dough)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup grated Kashkaval cheese (or substitute another 1/3 cup feta)
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
Salt and pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon sesame or poppy seeds for topping (optional)
Nonstick cooking oil spray

 

Process

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

 

2. In a mixing bowl, combine feta, kashkaval, ricotta, egg, a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper (if using all feta cheese, you may not need to add any salt). 

 

3. Use a fork to mix ingredients together till well blended. Make sure to break up any large crumbles of feta with the fork. Put aside 

 

4. On a smooth, clean, lightly floured surface, unfold one of your puff pastry sheets. Use a rolling pin to roll out the sheet to a 12x12 inch square. If using homemade puff pastry, roll your dough out to the same size - a 12”x12” square. 

 

5. Cut the sheet of puff pastry dough into 9 equal-sized squares, each about 4”x4” large. 

 

6.  Place 1 scant tablespoon of the cheese filling in the center of each dough square. 

 

7.  Fold the dough squares by grasping one corner and folding it over to the opposite corner to make triangles. Pinch firmly along the outer open edge of the triangles to seal. If you're having trouble sealing the dough and getting it to stick together, wet your finger with a bit of water and run it around the edge of the square before folding-- this will help it stick together.  You can also crimp the edges with the tines of a fork, if you wish.

 

8 . Repeat this process for the second sheet of puff pastry—roll out the pastry, cut into squares, add filling, and seal the triangles.

 

9.  Spray your baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Place 9 Bourekas on each sheet, evenly spaced, giving them some room to expand during baking. 

 

10.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tsp of cool water. Use a pastry brush to brush a light layer of the egg wash onto the surface of each boureka. 

 

11.  Sprinkle the bourekas with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired. 

 

12.  Bake the bourekas for about 30 minutes, switching the baking sheets between the upper and lower racks halfway through cooking. Bake till golden brown and cooked through.Serve warm. Store in a sealed container or plastic zipper bag.