Bourekas Food

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.

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, (make a triangle shape for an authentic look) 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.

BOUREKAS

Steps:

• 1. Make fillings first which can be made a day or two in advance. Thaw the puff pastry/phyllo dough at least two hours out of the refrigerator in advance needing them. Preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking filled bourekas. Grease or line with parchment paper a baking sheet. 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 chosen filling mixture in the center of each square. Fold each square envelope style or into a triangle with a flat base 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. (They can be reheated but taste better when fresh.)
• 2. CHEESE FILLING #1: 1 eggs 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 pinch garlic powder 1 pinch onion powder 1 pinch salt 1 pinch black pepper Beat egg in a medium bowl, and mix in the other ingredients. (This particular filling can can be made in days in advance because of the egg ingredient.) Yield 12. CHEESE FILLING #2: 1/2 cup soft white cheese such as fresh mozerella in water 1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese 2 tablespoont cream cheese 1 large or 2 small eggs, lightly beaten Salt and pepper Mash all ingredients with a fork or combine in a food processor. Yield is 12.
• 3. POTATO FILLING: 3 onions, chopped 1/2 cup schmaltz or oil or butter equivalent 2 cups fresh mashed potatoes (not instant) 1 egg Salt and pepper to taste Saute onions in the fat or oil until golden. Blen with rest of ingredients. (makes enough for 30 bourekas so half the recipe, but keep the one egg, if making only 12).
• 4. BEEF FILLING: 1 onion, chopped 1 tablespoon schmaltz or oil 2 cups cooked beef (leftovers), or browned ground beef, processed in food processor) 1 cup mashed potatoes (not instant) 1 egg Salt and pepepr to taste Saute onions in fat or oil until golden. Mix with other ingredients. Yield is 30 so half if making onnly about 12 bourekas.
• 5. SPINACH FILLING: 1 lb fresh spinach 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese Salt and pepper Wash the spinach several times. Put them into a saucepan, cover tightly, and heat over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Drain in a sieve, pressing out any excess moisture. Chop fine. Add the other ingredients.

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.

BOUREK (MEAT FILLED PASTRY)

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the lamb and stir-fry a minute.
• Add the onion, parsley, salt, pepper and cinnamon and cook over medium low heat til lamb is cooked through.
• Take one sheet of phyllo and fold both side to the center length-wise.
• Sprinkle lightly with melted butter.
• Place 2 heaping tablespoons of meat stuffing at one end of the phyllo.
• Press it out til it is about 4 inches wide and 1 inch deep.
• Roll the dough over and roll about 3 times.
• Sprinkle a bit more butter on the end and dab with egg to seal.
• Do this with the remaining meat mix and phyllo.
• Bake in a buttered baking dish in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.