Veggie and Cheese Bourekas Recipe

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2

Prepare your preferred filling — for the filling featured: (Slice one eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Place rounds on a paper towel and dust them with kosher salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes. The kosher salt is drawing out moisture from the eggplant so that it will be more crispy was baked or fried. After 30 minutes, pat dry and cut into cubes. Fill a frying pan with 1 inch sunflower or canola oil and set on stove top burner at medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the eggplant and fry until each side is golden brown. Let fried eggplant cool on a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.

Step 3

While the eggplant is cooling, wipe out your frying pan from excess oil and add another 2 tbsp of oil to the pan.

Step 4

Once, hot, add chopped leeks and garlic saute on medium high heat until fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add mixture to plate of cooling eggplant.

Step 5

Place eggplant, leeks, cilantro, feta, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and stir to combine. Reserve mixture.

Step 6

On a lightly floured surface, unfold one of your puff pastry sheets. Use a rolling pin to roll out the sheet to a 12×12 inch square. Cut the sheet of puff pastry dough into 9 equal-sized squares, each about 4×4 inches large.

Step 7

Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough square.

Step 8

Fold the dough squares by grasping one corner and folding it over to the opposite corner to make triangles. Pinch firmly along the outer open edge of the triangles to seal. Go over each edge with a finger dip of water to help seal the dough.

Step 9

Spray your baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Place your burekas on each sheet, evenly spaced, giving them some room to expand during baking.

Step 10

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tsp of cool water. Use a pastry brush to brush a light layer of the egg wash onto the surface of each bureka. Sprinkle each bureka with sesame seeds if desired.

Step 11

Bake the burekas for about 30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.