burekas 101

every country & culture seems to have some snack item or appetizer which involves a filling surrounded by a type of pastry.

just as latin populations love their empanadas and indians adore samosas, the jewish community has a great love for what we call burekas (pronounced bou-ray-kahs). obviously a derivation from the words boereg or burek [turkic], these snacks come filled with a variety of stuffings and in different shapes.

it's no secret that the most popular are the puff pastry ones filled with melted cheese (hmmm, i wonder why?!). other popular fillings are potato and, where i live, spicy tuna. some people make them with a meat filling also.

puff pastry burekas are probably the least complicated burekas to make, especially for beginners. all you have to do is roll the dough, make a filling, stuff them and bake.

below are three different fillings you can use. of course, you can put whatever you want. these are just suggestions. other bureka recipes from my blog: sefardi style, salmon, meat.

happy bureka making!

puff pastry burekas — בורקסים בבצק עלים

burekas can become very addictive. puff pastry ones are the quickest to make as the dough is already pre-made and easily bought in a grocery store in the freezer section. they're also the best ones! :))

makes 32 small-ish burekas

ingredients:

1 pkg puff pastry (454- 500 grams / 1 lb)

1 - 2 eggs for eggwash
sesame seeds

fillings:

spicy tuna (thon épicé) filling

1 can tuna (6 oz?) in OIL
1 - 2 tsp harissa or similar sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
small squeeze lemon juice
chopped parsley or coriander (opt)

see below for instructions

cheese filling

1 1/2 c coarsely grated (brick) white cheddar or mozzarella
1 c ricotta cheese, drained
1 - 2 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

mix all together and fill burekas

potato filling

3 large potatoes, cooked and mashed or riced
1 large onion + 2 large cloves garlic, minced and fried until golden
1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar, opt
2 tbsp olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
1 egg yolk, opt.

mix all together and fill burekas

method:

tuna filling:

place the tuna in a food processor and drain off most of the oil. keep maybe a tsp of it. process until the tuna is finely ground.


add harissa paste or similar hot sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and parsley or coriander if wanted. mix well.

separate the pastry into two half pound (250 g) pieces.

roll each piece out until it is 15 inches x 15 inches.

fold over the top to meet the bottom, evenly. you can cut it now on the seam it makes or do it later. if you've never done this before, do it later.

fold over the left side now to meet the right, to make another square. you should have FOUR layers now.

cut this evenly into 4 squares to give you a total of 16 pieces (4 squares x 4 layers).


preheat the oven to 375 F.

make your eggwash by mixing 1 egg with 2 tbsp of water or milk. you may need to do this again once all the burekas are formed if you use all of the first wash.

paint the egg wash onto one square in the shape of an L. if you coat all the perimeter it does not seal nicely.

take the square that has been egg washed and fill it with a tablespoon or so of filling. DO NOT OVERFILL.

fold over to make a triangle. press down slightly to seal edges. place each bureka on a baking tray (parchment lined is best).

once all the burekas have been filled, coat them well with the rest of the egg wash. make sure to seal the edges well for the cheese ones by pressing down a bit.

sprinkle them with sesame seeds.

bake the burekas for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and fully puffed up.

let them cool down before eating. the cheese ones are great while still warm. the filling will be too runny if you have them while they're hot.

בתאבון • enjoy!