Borekas

Borekas

A crunchy Israeli classic.

By Leah Koenig

Borekas are nothing short of edible perfection--heavenly little parcels of dough crisped with hot oil or melted butter and stuffed with any number of delicious savory ingredients. Nutritious and filling, they make a satisfying meal any time of day. And like Italy's calzone, Spain's empanada, and India's samosa, these pastries are self-contained, which makes them the perfect portable snack to power an afternoon spent browsing through the shuk, or just about any other activity. More >>>

Categories:Appetizer, Cheesy, israel, Israeli food, Lunch, Vegetarian, Hanukkah, Purim, Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat, Shavuot, Simchat Torah, Sukkot, Yom HaAtzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, Meat, Rosh Hashanah Ingredients Filling 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed of excess water a 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese 1 clove garlic, minced 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg Salt and freshly ground black pepper Dough 1 16-ounce package of phyllo dough, thawed 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, beaten Toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling

Directions

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	Yield Prep Cook Total	about 3 dozen borekas 40 mins 20 mins 1 hr 0 mins

Combine spinach, egg, ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, and nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease the bottom of a baking sheet with butter or cooking spray.

Place the thawed phyllo dough on a flat surface and cover it with a lightly damp dishtowel to keep it from drying out when not in use.

Remove one sheet of dough and place it on a flat surface. Cut it lengthwise into 4 and a 1/2-inch wide strips (you'll end up with 2 or 3 strips per sheet of dough). Working quickly, brush the dough strips with melted butter. Fold one side of the strip over lengthwise to meet the other (like closing a book) and brush again with more butter.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling at the bottom end of each buttered strip. Fold the bottom right corner of the strip upwards, towards the left edge to make a triangle. Then fold the triangle over to the opposite side. Continue folding upwards in this manner until you are left with a fat triangle with the filling tucked safely inside.

Brush the outside of the triangle with a little more butter and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with additional pieces of phyllo until all of the filling is used up. Just before baking, brush the filled borekas with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

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