Savory Pastries & Quiches
Baked Empanadas Draft
Baked empanadas in a simple olive oil dough, filled with spiced ground beef, hard-boiled egg and olives. I bake them instead of frying.
Beef Empanadas Draft
My empanadas, baked dough pockets filled with ground beef, onion, olives, raisins and a slice of hard-boiled egg.
Cheese Bourekas Draft
Puff pastry triangles filled with kashkaval and salty cheese, brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Broccoli and Cheese Bake Draft
A broccoli bake with three cheeses and a little nutmeg, which I make with frozen broccoli when I don't have fresh.
Pepper and Mozzarella Calzones Draft
Quick calzones from store-bought pizza dough, filled with sautéed peppers, herbs and mozzarella. With no dough to make, they're ready in half an hour.
Basic Calzone Dough Draft
A simple yeast dough with honey and olive oil for six calzones, which I fill with whatever I like and finish with Parmesan and parsley.
Cauliflower and Potato Pashtida Draft
A simple bake of boiled cauliflower and potatoes in a cheese-and-egg batter, which I bake in a pan dusted with breadcrumbs until golden.
Chard and Cheese Swirl Rolls Draft
Swirls of soft sour-cream yeast dough rolled around chard, crispy onion, kashkaval and feta, baked side by side in a round pan.
Cheese and Garlic Rolls Draft
Quick cheese and garlic rolls with no yeast and no kneading. I stir everything together with a spoon, chill it for an hour, bake, and serve them warm.
Cheese Bites Draft
Crisp, savory cheese-dough rounds topped with sesame, nigella and mixed seeds, which I cut with a round cutter and bake until golden.
Cheese Pouches for Shavuot Draft
Yeast-dough pouches filled with cottage cheese, yellow cheese, garlic and basil that I bake for Shavuot and serve warm.
Cheese and Herb Sticks Draft
Crumbly sticks made with three cheeses, sesame and dried herbs that I serve as a savory nibble with drinks.
Chicken Thighs in Puff Pastry Cases Draft
Crisp puff pastry cases filled with chicken thighs in white wine with olives and thyme, topped with a smooth tomato sauce, a festive dish when I have guests.
Chicken Wrapped in Puff Pastry Draft
Seared chicken breast that I wrap in puff pastry squares with an herbed spread and parsley, baked until golden.
Creamy Onion Tart Draft
A simple onion tart in a flaky butter crust, with an egg and cream custard and a touch of nutmeg and paprika.
Crispy Chicken Bourekas Draft
Thin yeast-dough pockets filled with chicken thighs, onion and sumac, which I bake for just a few minutes and serve warm with a spicy tomato salad.
Crispy Pizza Fingers with Olives Draft
Pizza fingers made from cigar pastry sheets with tomato sauce, shredded cheese and green olives, rolled like egg rolls and baked until crisp.
Crispy Cheese and Roasted Eggplant Swirl Draft
A swirl of crisp cigar pastry sheets filled with fire-roasted eggplant, yellow cheese, feta and thyme, a small dish for two or three.
Baked Chicken and Vegetable Turnovers Draft
Baked turnovers of flaky dough filled with strips of chicken and vegetables in a soy, sweet chili and honey sauce, which I bake until golden.
Easy Bulgarian Boyikos Draft
Salty cheese boyikos from a dough mixed by hand, with no yeast and no rolling pin. I make them when I want a quick cheese pastry.
Easy Rough Puff Pastry Draft
A quick puff pastry I make at home from flour, grated frozen butter and ice-cold water, with a few folds that build the layers.
Eggplant and Goat Cheese Pie Draft
A buttery shortcrust pie with grilled eggplant slices and goat cheese fanned in a circle, set in a cream-and-egg custard that I bake low and slow.
Eggplant and Cheese Bourekitas Draft
Little bourekas in a tender oil dough, filled with fire-roasted eggplant, Bulgarian cheese and kashkaval. I serve them warm.
Turkish Gözleme Draft
Gözleme, a Turkish flatbread of soft yeast dough, filled and cooked in a skillet. I fill it with spinach and feta, or with chicken and stir-fried vegetables.
Feta Phyllo Pie Draft
Buttery layers of phyllo with a feta and white-sauce filling, which I cut into squares and serve after a short rest.
Filled Pastry Domes Draft
Individual pastries of flaky butter dough that I shape in a small bowl and fill with yellow cheese and mushrooms in white sauce, or with a meat filling.
Fried or Baked Sambusak Draft
Sambusak in a thin yeast dough with two fillings, ground beef with pine nuts and chickpeas with fried onion and cumin. I fry them or bake them, whichever suits me.
Fried Sambusak Draft
Fried dough half-moons filled with chickpeas and chicken spiced with paprika and cumin, which I serve hot with tahini and pickles.
Individual Savory Yeast Flatbreads Draft
Individual pita-size yeast flatbreads topped with cubes of Tzfatit cheese, olives, thyme and coarse salt. A simple dough baked hot for just a few minutes.
Khachapuri (Cheese Bread with Egg) Draft
My khachapuri, a nest of yeast dough filled with yellow cheese and feta with an egg cracked into the middle, brushed with butter straight out of the oven.
Kreplach Draft
Dumplings of a scalded dough filled with ground beef and cooked in chicken soup; I serve them at the meal before Yom Kippur.
Leek and Cheese Pashtida (Prasifuchi) Draft
A soft leek bake with mashed potato, eggs and kashkaval that I serve warm from the oven.
Meat Bourekas Rolls Draft
Puff pastry rolls filled with ground beef, mushrooms and pine nuts, brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame before baking.
Mini Croissants with Mushroom and Onion Filling Draft
My mini croissants, made from a buttery yeast dough that rests overnight in the fridge, rolled around a filling of sautéed mushrooms and onion.
Moroccan Potato Cigars Draft
Fried Moroccan cigars filled with mashed potato, garlic and cilantro. I serve them hot, straight from the oil.
Mushroom and Onion Quiche Draft
A buttery quiche with sautéed mushrooms and onions over a layer of cream cheese, under a custard of cream, sour cream and white cheese with nutmeg.
Mushroom and Halloumi Quiche Draft
A quiche on a buttery crust, with sautéed onions and mushrooms, grated halloumi and an egg and cream custard.
Mushroom Bake Without Cream Draft
A light mushroom bake without cream, made with cottage cheese and white cheese, that I just stir together and put in the oven.
Mushroom, Spinach and Parmesan Quiche Draft
My quiche, on a flaky butter crust with three kinds of mushrooms, spinach and Parmesan in a cream and egg custard.
Parmesan Twists Draft
Puff pastry twists with parmesan and herbs that I make from half a package of puff pastry and bake in ten minutes.
Baked Pasta with Mushrooms and Bulgarian Cheese Draft
A big pan of baked pasta with three kinds of mushrooms, onion, chives and plenty of cheese, baked until golden and firm and cut into squares.
Pecorino and Thyme Pinwheels Draft
Little puff pastry pinwheels with ricotta, pecorino and fresh thyme, an easy savory bake I make with no kneading and no rising.
Roasted Pepper and Pesto Quiche Draft
A quiche in a shortcrust shell with roasted colored peppers, pesto, Kalamata olives and a creamy custard.
Phyllo and Cheese Banitsa Draft
My banitsa, buttered phyllo layered with a batter of eggs, yogurt, salty cheeses and spinach, which I make as individual pastries or in one large pan.
Layered Phyllo Cheese Pie Draft
A pan bourekas of phyllo layers and a cheese and egg filling, with milk and Parmesan on top. It comes out crisp, golden and puffed, and I serve it a few minutes out of the oven.
Pizza Roses Draft
Yeast dough spirals with tomato sauce and cheese that I stand close together in a pan and bake like a savory rose cake.
Potato and Spinach Phyllo Rolls Draft
Rolls made from store-bought phyllo dough, filled with potato, spinach and Bulgarian cheese, brushed with egg yolk and topped with sesame.
Puff Pastry Cheese Twists Draft
Twisted puff pastry strips with Parmesan and oregano, a quick bake I can freeze ahead and bake straight from the freezer.
Puff Pastry Rounds with Tomato and Goat Cheese Draft
Puff pastry rounds topped with onions cooked in white wine and thyme, goat cheese, a slice of tomato and Parmesan.
Rich Cheese Rolls (Boyikos) Draft
Boyikos, rich cheese rolls made with self-rising flour, butter and three cheeses, with no yeast and no kneading, just mixing, a short chill and baking.
Cheese Straws Draft
Twisted puff pastry sticks with Parmesan, three ingredients and twenty minutes in the oven. I make them when I need a quick salty snack.
Savory Sesame Ka'ak Cookies (Abadi-Style) Draft
Crisp, savory little sesame rings in the style of Abadi, from a dough that comes together in the food processor in minutes.
Savory Waffles Draft
Savory waffles with Parmesan, fresh thyme and nutmeg, from a simple one-bowl batter that I let rest for half an hour.
Savory Cheese and Rosemary Puffs Draft
Small savory choux puffs with Parmesan and fresh rosemary. I serve them as they are or filled with a spread.
Savory Cheese Rolls Draft
Small, quick cheese rolls with no yeast, made from a dough of butter, hard cheese and soft white cheese, which I top with sesame or nigella seeds.
Cheese Sambusak Draft
Sambusak made from a tender butter and cheese dough, filled with three salty cheeses and coated in sesame and nigella seeds.
Savory Yeast Ka'ak Draft
Small savory ka'ak rings from an anise-scented yeast dough, dipped in egg and sesame and baked until crisp; I make a big batch because they keep for days.
Herbed Chicken in Puff Pastry Draft
Seared chicken breast halves that I wrap in puff pastry with a herbed spread and parsley, baked until the pastry is golden and puffed.
Savory Twisted Loaf with Pesto and Goat Cheese Draft
My savory twisted loaf, a buttery yeast dough I roll up with pesto and goat cheese, split and twist into a braid and bake in a loaf pan.
Spinach Quiche with a Butter Crust Draft
A spinach pie in a crisp butter crust, with Parmesan, feta and an egg and milk custard baked until set.
Spinach Quiche Draft
Individual quiches in a buttery shortcrust shell, filled with blanched spinach, eggs, yogurt and a little cheese, with pine nuts around the edge.
Sweet or Savory Rugelach Draft
One yeast dough that rests overnight in the fridge, which I roll into sweet rugelach with cinnamon, apples, chocolate or jam, or savory ones with za'atar or cheese.
Turkish Cheese Boureka Spiral Draft
A large Turkish boureka of phyllo rolls coiled into a spiral, filled with cheeses, roasted eggplant and roasted red peppers.
Yeast Roulade with Cheese and Vegetables for Sukkot Draft
Two yeast-dough roulades filled with sautéed vegetables, cheeses and herbs, which I serve sliced for Sukkot with a leek and cream sauce on the side.
Yeast Swirls Filled with Peppers and Eggplant Draft
Swirls of simple yeast dough filled with roasted peppers, eggplant and goat cheese, best eaten soon after baking.
Tzukoro Phyllo Spiral with Roasted Vegetables and Cheese Draft
A large phyllo spiral filled with roasted eggplant and peppers and three cheeses, which I serve as a starter for a big table.
Zucchini, Leek and Cheese Pashtida Draft
A bake of sautéed zucchini, leeks and onions under a layer of ricotta, feta, cream and herbs, which I like hot, cold and at room temperature.