finally, a recipe!

so, i guess it's about time i finally posted something about one of my favourite snacks and visually explained what exactly a bureka is, especially considering it's in my blog title and also my moniker ..... this, then, is also for a few people who have asked or emailed me about posting something about it.

ok, so it's not a secret that jewish people are a little concerned with food. what would life be without good things to eat? whatever the occasion may be, we eat. it's also no surprise that every single celebration involves shoving food in one's mouth. many of the most amazing items central to jewish table are carbohydrate based — now seen as enemy number one — and burekas are no exception.

the bureka (boo-ray-kah) is really the sephardic equivalent to the ashkenazi "knish" and is as integral to the sephardic table as knishes are to the eastern european (ashkenazi) one. it's also a bit of a term of endearment for something small and good.

burekas are different things to different people and can go by other names depending upon who is eating them. they can be found from such diverse areas as north africa to the mediterranean and further to central eastern europe. while they look like miniature spanish emapanadas, the origin is said to be the borek, a turkish filled [often] savoury pastry. the jewish sephardic version is obviously linked to its spanish pre inquisition past.

in short, this snack item is some kind of dough shaped in a variety of ways to envelop either a meat, vegetable or cheese filling. the dough can be made in one of three ways: an oily flaky dough, a puff pastry type dough or filo. the traditional way is with either the oily one or filo. those made with puff pastry are easier and faster to make with a preprepared, often frozen, product. they are extremely popular and often their shapes are a give away as to what is you'll find inside. they can also be known by other names like bulemas, boyos, or filakos and filled with gooey and luscious melted cheese[s], spinach or eggplant. i'll eventually post the different ways to make some of them with the other doughs and filling variations.

the ones i am showing here are the standard plain kind and have been made the "homemade" traditional way as was/is done on thursdays or fridays for the sabbath [though they are commonly kept in stock as an everyday snack]. it also helps to have extra hands available to speed up the tedious cutting, rolling and stuffing process. usually these things are made in batches of 100 or so! why make 24 when you can make 240? you know you'll eat them all :-O

potato and cheese burekas

dough ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt, heaped
1/4 c + 1 tbsp veg oil
~1/2 c very hot water
1 tsp lemon juice

[gomo] filling ingredients:

2 very large potatoes [floury kind, not waxy]
feta or drained ricotta (about 1 1/4 c)
2 tbsp parmesan or romano cheese, optional but use if adding ricotta
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

*n.b. that these can made parve for shabbat by using only potatoes; just substitute 1 1/4 c or so of fried onions in place of the cheese, or use cooked chopped spinach plus and 1 egg, and increase the amounts of pepper and seasonings. they can also me made vegan by omitting the egg and dairy components [replace ricotta with crumbled tofu and use soymage for parmesan & some nutritional yeast]; use soymilk or enerG to coat the pastries.

***
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp water
sesame seeds

makes approx. 2 dozen

method:

place flour and salt in a bowl and mix well.

add the oil and then the very hot water, 1/4 c at a time to the flour and mix to make a shaggy dough. you may need the full 1/2 c or a little less. once formed, you are aiming for a soft dough which is also firm.

knead the dough for a few minutes without flour and set it aside well covered. it must rest for at least one hour.

don't skip this step or you'll have problems rolling it out as the gluten needs to fully relax. at this point, make the filling.

boil the potatoes in their jackets and let cool until you can safely handle them. they should still be very warm. peel them and then mash well. they should have a bit of texture. use floury potatoes and not waxy ones. place them in a medium bowl.

mash the feta and add it to the potatoes. if you're using ricotta, strain it if watery and then add it to potatoes. add the parmesan or romano and spices and mix will.

using a tablespoon, measure out 22 or 23 portions. set this aside.

now take the dough out of bowl and cut 23 or 23 portions of dough about the size of a very large marble [like a big rounded tablespoon]. the dough will feel oily — this is good. it will sometimes have whitish pock marks on it. that's fine (i think it's a reaction with the starch in the flour).


working with one or two pieces of dough at a time (keep the other ones covered so they don't dry out), flatten them to a round with your fingers.

take a good rolling pin — some people even use a strong walled drinking glass, and roll out the dough to a thin circle about 2.5 or 3 inches. you do not use flour here as the oil will prevent it from sticking.


fill a small dish with water. put half the filling in the middle and take your finger and shmear water all along half the bottom edge like you are making a happy face. wipe it back and forth several times to work up the starch so the edges will stick better. it will turn whitish.


fold the top half over and press down well for the first sealing.

now take a fork and press down really well to seal for the second time.

set these aside as you make them. don't forget to cover them.


if you want to make fancy edges, i hope you have time and patience :) we always made them this way but it's a lot of work. {note that you need a good 3/8 to 1/2 inch to work with so don't overstuff the burekas if you're trying this or they'll most likely open up when they bake; mine was a bit short here in the picture. and don't be discouraged as it takes practice!}.

here's how: make the first seal.

now, make the first fold over the top right edge.

then right over it, fold again and continue all the way around.

you need a thin edge to get this to work properly and adept fingers. good luck, if you try them this way.

fancy, eh? (lol)

preheat oven to 350F.

once they have all been formed, make your egg wash and get a pastry brush.

at this point, you can prick them with a fork 3 times before the egg wash. i do it after but it can be tricky as the egg makes the dough a bit sticky. either way is fine. do not skip this step as the steam inside needs to escape or the burekitas will open up.

egg wash all the pastries and then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

before:

bake for about 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

after:

they can be served warm or at room temperature. keep in the fridge.

enjoy!