Denise says:
These are popular little puff pastry parcels that are filled with potatoes, mushrooms or spinach and cheese. I like to decorate the pastry by sprinkling sesame seeds on top. They are eaten as a snack with drinks or Kiddush or in the Succah during Succot or as part of your summer picnic.
Borekas are also known to some as "pastelles,". They are a genuine Sephardic-Jewish creation, copied by others throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.
They make a great hot appetizer or a light lunch. You also can prepare them
in advance and freeze, unbaked; pop into the oven when needed.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Makes: 20 borekas
Ingredients:
For the Filling450g (approx 3 potatoes) – peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion – peeled and finely chopped
225g fresh mushrooms – finely chopped
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
900g puff pastry – ready rolled if possible
2 egg yolks – beaten – to glaze
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
Variation
Spinach Borekas
Filling
225g frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
110g feta cheese crumbled
200g ricotta or cream cheese
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 garlic clove – peeled and finely chopped
Salt and freshly black pepper – to taste
2 egg yolks – to glaze
Garnish: 2 teaspoons za’atar ( Middle Eastern spice mixture) – optional
Method
1) Combine all the filling ingredients together.
2) Form the borekas as in the potato and mushroom recipe.
3) Glaze with egg yolk and dust with some za’atar. This helps people to distinguish between the two fillings.
Method
1) Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas mark 6.2) Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Mash with a rice or fork. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3) In a large frying pan, sauté the onions and mushrooms until soft and all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat.
4) Stir in the mashed potato and egg. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly.
5) Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Cut the pastry in half. Roll out the pastry if not ready rolled into a 23 cm / 9 inch x 23 cm/ 9 inch square. Do this twice.
6) Cut the pastry into a total of 20 squares of 8 cm/ 3 inch each.
7) Transfer the squares on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment paper.
8) Place a tablespoon of the potato mixture in the centre of each pastry square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the filling.
9) Press or crimp edges to seal.
10) Glaze with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
11) Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.