Efrat's Notebook

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.

I make potato and cheese bourekitas the same way: boil a potato until tender, cool slightly, peel and mash. Mix in 9 oz (250 g) soft white cheese, 3.5 oz (100 g) soft goat cheese, 5 oz (150 g) grated Parmesan, an egg, salt and black pepper. Cool completely and fill the same way, then brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds before baking.

  • Prep40 min
  • Cook20 min
  • Rest20 min
  • Total1 hr 20 min
  • KashrutDairy

What you need

Amount:×1

Dough

Eggplant and cheese filling

For assembly

How I make it

Dough

  1. Warm the oil, margarine, water and salt in a pot over low heat until the margarine melts. Remove from the heat.

  2. Put the flour in a bowl (or a stand mixer with the dough hook). Add the liquid gradually and knead just until the dough is smooth, even and not sticky.

  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Filling

  1. Meanwhile, mix all the filling ingredients and keep in the fridge until needed.

Assembly and baking

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

  2. Roll the dough out on parchment paper, no flour needed, about ¼ inch (½ cm) thick.

  3. Cut out circles 3 inches (8 cm) across.

  4. Brush the edges with the egg wash, put a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle and fold in half.

  5. Press the edges firmly with your fingertips or the tines of a fork.

  6. Arrange the bourekitas spaced apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with kashkaval if you like and bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve hot.

What I've learned

  • I knead only until the dough comes together; overworking it ruins the texture.
  • If you're good at crimping the edges with little pleats, you can skip the egg wash on the edges.

Source: ChefEf (chefef.com)