This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winners: Lori A., Teri G., and Betty P.
I love dairy. And I love carbs.
And oh my goodness, I love dairy and carbs together.
Which is why when I lived in Israel, my absolute favorite indulgence was a cheese bourekas from Angel Bakery.
It’s been five years since I lived in Israel – and I have yet to experience that same deliciousness. But this recipe, from the new cookbook, Jewish Traditional Cooking by Ruth Joseph, looks like it might just do the trick.
And wouldn’t it be perfect for Shavuot?!
The Perfect Bourekas
Makes about 40 bourekas
Ingredients
2 16-oz packs of phyllo dough
2–3 tablespoons olive oil, for brushing
1 egg, to glaze
sesame or poppy seeds, to sprinkle
For the cheese filling
4 oz (1 cup) soft white cheese, such as ricotta, mozzarella, or feta
8 oz stronger cheese, such as Gouda or pecorino
1 large egg
2 tablespoons natural yogurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the potato filling
1 cup mashed potato
1⁄2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsely, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spinach filling
2 lb spinach
2 eggs
11⁄2 cups Emmental, Gouda, or mozzarella, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
finely grated nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Ensure that the dough is defrosted and ready to use.
First prepare the fillings. Grate or chop the cheeses for the cheese filling and combine with the egg, yogurt, and seasoning in a bowl. Set aside. Season the mashed potato with the herbs and salt and pepper, and set aside. To make the spinach filling, wash the spinach and wilt in a large pan over medium heat. Drain in a colander and squeeze out all the moisture with the back of a spoon.
Leave to cool. Roughly chop the spinach, and combine with the eggs and cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg.
To assemble the bourekas, remove two sheets of phyllo dough from the stack and cover the rest with a damp cloth to stop them drying out. Place the sheets of dough on top of each other, cut into strips 6 inches wide and brush with olive oil. Place a tablespoon of filling in one corner, fold over the corner at an angle to form a triangle, and then wrap up tightly to form a neat little triangular parcel. Repeat with the rest of the dough and fillings.
Place the filled bourekas on your prepared baking sheets, glaze on both sides with beaten egg, and sprinkle generously all over with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.
Variations
Include slivers of brie instead of soft white cheese, or some chopped nuts or roasted peppers for extra flavor. To liven up the potato filling, add a handful of chopped olives, a tablespoon of pesto sauce, or some sliced and cooked mushroom.
If you’d like to see more recipes like these, you’re in luck! I am giving away three copies of Jewish Traditional Cooking: Over 150 Nostalgic & Contemporary Recipes (retail value: $29.95).
Here’s how to enter this giveaway:
Required Entry: Leave a comment on this post with the dish you most like to cook for Shavuot (For eg., I like to make eggplant parmesan — and bourekas!) This is a required entry form, so make sure you do this first.
Optional Entry: Pin or repin this recipe on Pinterest — then let me know you have done so by leaving a separate comment.
This giveaway will be open until Wednesday, May 1st at 11:59 p.m. CST. The winners must be at least 18 years of age and live in the United States (sorry, folks!). They will be selected randomly and notified by email immediately. Good luck!
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the Jewish Traditional Cooking cookbook. The publisher will provide each of the three winners with their copy as well. I was not compensated in any other way to host this giveaway.
Photo Courtesy of the Jewish Traditional Cooking
Blintzes! Though my favorite thing to eat on Shavuos is my sister-in-law’s, milchig lukshen kugel 🙂 (and lots of cheesecake!)
Pinned!
Love everything milchig!!
Cheesecake and ice cream are my favorites!!!
4 different cheesecakes! And onion quiche
The only definite is cheesecake. Often we have a fleishig meal, but have a little kiddush beforehand with cheesecake. Those borekas look really good, though!
Just pinned this recipe from your Shavuous board to mine. (Now I’m wondering if that’s what you meant?–Did you mean to pin the blog post?) Pinned some other stuff from your Shavuous board, too. You found great recipes!
Nothing says Shavuot like cheesecake.
As someone allergic to dairy my meals are pretty much the same on shavuot, but I do like making a pareve pumpkin cheesecake
pinned the recipe!
I love to make cheesecake! I make a Godiva white chocolate one every year, and this year I will also try out a Martha Stewart recipe for a chocolate and peanut butter one!!
Pareve cheesecake…goes with any meal!
The dairy recipe I like most is Strawberry Soup. Served cold, it is amazing! If I am a winner,
I’d like to donate the Cookbook to someone who is just learning to keep kosher.
I love to make quiches and cheesecakes
Lasagna, cheesecake, and pineapple maple glazed salmon
My Omi’s z”l cottage-cheese based cheese cake with raisins.
Cheese and apple blintz soufflé
I love to make a cheesecake that uses Chip Ahoy cookies as the crust! Yum! I haven’t ever made bourekas, but with your recipe, I just will have to try making them!
I pinned the recipe too!
Cheesecake
I love reading new cookbooks and getting new recipes.
Spinach lasagna with veggie sausage.
Cheese blintzes from scratch just like my mother makes
Baked ziti
Can’t wait to try. Added this to my Shavous menu.
definitely cheese cake and yummy cheese noodle kugel!
I love making eggplant Parmesan and lasagna 🙂
Spinach lazagne
Perfect for Shavuot; we’re hosting a crowd this year!
I would love a new cookbook.
LOVE making cheesecakes! I’d love to see the other recipes in this book!!
love barakahs. ..and pizza
What’s Shavuot without cheesecake or blintzes. I always make 3 different quishes
I like to make a dairy kugle my mom made when I was young. It taste like cheesecake kugle. It makes the whole house smell amazing.
vegetarian strata and butterscotch pudding
definitely cheesecake and cheese blintzes, they are shavuous staples Yum!
Har Sinai cake–any cake frosted with green and colorful flowers. Alef-beis crackers on top. Our family’s tradition!
Eggplant roll ups. Yum!! Drooling just thinking about it….
Would love to try the recipes from your cookbook, especially in time for Shavuot!
Pinned.
Cheese blintzes!
Cheesecake and blintzes!
cheesecake and lasanga.
Cheese blintzes and salmon croquettes.
The Perfect Bourekas – Cheese, Spinach & Potato
Fettuccine Alfredo!
blintz sufflet, mushroom onion quiche, maybe lasagna, hopefully get to cheese cake this year, (our minhag is to have fleishig at night milchig for ‘breakfast’-when men first come home, and fleishig for second meal on Shavous-‘lunch’, so will probably make a roast of some sort and other fleishig food, but i’m excited about the milchig meals! -love cheese cake!)
Mac and cheese!
Cheescake is a must in this house!
I like eggplant parm. 🙂