afoona
Spinach and Cheese Burekitas
Pastries

Spinach and Cheese Burekitas

Homemade spinach and Bulgarian cheese burekitas - a crisp, rich pastry from beloved Balkan cooking

⏱ 55 minMake ahead: 8 hr🍽 8 servings 🌍 Israeli👩‍🍳 Afoona🧩 3 parts

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

  1. 1
    Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge overnight, until pliable but still cold.
    Refrigerator
    💡Work with store-bought dough while it's cold: warm puff pastry gets sticky and won't puff in the oven, and phyllo sheets dry out fast, so keep the waiting sheets covered with a damp towel.

For the Pastry Filling

  1. 2
    Sauté the spinach in a pot with a little water, until wilted.
    StovePot
  2. 3
    Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach well and chop it fine.
  3. 4
    In a bowl, mix the spinach, Bulgarian cheese, ricotta, eggs, nutmeg and garlic, and season with salt and black pepper.
    Bowl

To assemble

  1. 5
    Roll out the dough on a work surface and cut into into squares of about 10 cm.
    Knife
  2. 6
    Place a spoonful of cooled filling in the center of each piece, fold into a triangle and seal the edges well with a fork.
    💡Seal well and press with a fork all along the edges, and don't overfill: a pastry that opens in the oven loses its filling, and in the fryer it fills with oil.
  3. 7
    Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
    Baking panParchment paper
    💡Brush with an egg beaten with a teaspoon of water: the glaze turns shiny and golden, and the sesame sticks to it.
  4. 8
    Bake in an oven preheated to 190°C (375°F) 20–25 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden underneath too.
    ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan
    💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
325calories
10 gprotein
19 gcarbs
23 gfat
● protein 12%● carbs 24%● fat 64%

Per serving (147 g), of 8 servings

For the Wrapping Dough · For the Pastry Filling · To assemble ·

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⚖ About the ingredients

🔧 Tools needed (7) · 🍳 2 cooking vessels

  • Oven · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Toaster oven (Fits one small pan; good for small batches) · Air fryer (Small batches only, no runny batters) · Pot (Only for covered stews on the stovetop, no browning on top)
  • Refrigerator · Also works: Freezer (Chills faster; don't let it freeze) · Ice bath (Ice bath)
  • Stove · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
  • Pot · Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
  • Baking pan · Also works: Glass / ovenproof baking dish (None) · Disposable pan (None)
  • Knife · Also works: Food processor (Fast, less control over size) · Kitchen shears (For herbs/dough)
  • Bowl · Also works: Pot (None)

🧻 Consumables: Parchment paper

By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.

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