Israeli Everything Bagel Cheese Borekas

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Who says everything bagel seasoning is just for bagels? Sprinkle it on these Israeli cheese borekas, and watch the pastries disappear! Bring them to parties, picnics, weekly practices and games, or serve them for breakfast or brunch on Mother’s Day.  Father’s Day too!

Borekas, boreki, börek, burek or bourekas are savory and delicious hand pies that are popular across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Fillings can vary but borekas stuffed with cheese and topped with homemade everything bagel seasoning is Israeli’s favorite pastime food.

Mediterranean Food

Like with many foods of Mediterranean, we can thank Turkey and their Ottoman Empire for these pastries. The Ottomans, among other things, served to bring variety, freshness, color, and refinement to Mediterraneanean cuisine, which has been exported throughout the world. It is truly a celebration of the blending of peoples, ideas, and flavors, all subtly woven together in a savory tapestry, a delight for the eyes and a feast for the mouth.

WHAT IS BOREKA?

The boreka dough is traditionally made from scratch, but puff pastry is a convenient substitute that simplifies the process. And who doesn’t like simple recipes? For lower carb version use fillo pastry. Being ruled by the Ottomans for over 400 years, Bosnia and fillo have a long history together. Burek, as we call borekas, is the pastry stuffed with meat (and my favorite), however, with any other stuffing, it is called pita (pie).

I’ve never been to Israel, but that time I briefly entered my friend’s house (it also turned out to be the only time) I saw borekas neatly lined up in a wicker basket like fierce soldiers, only half-way covered with white linen. Although I haven’t been a fan of food during my childhood, I was intrigued by the triangle-shaped pastries. My curiosity didn’t faze my playmate as, I learned, this cheese pastry was a common food on their table.

We left her house abruptly, hearing the return of her parents. They were strict and didn’t allow a gathering of the neighborhood kids in their house. They also always kept to themselves and were very private, for longest my off-base stereotype of Jewish people.

What does it Taste Like?

Little did I know, their cheese borekas taste just like our cheese pita but I eventually forgot all about how much I wanted to try them until I found this recipe in the An Oddysey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel book.  Shaya makes the dough from scratch and talks with the great sentiment about baking these with his grandma. I made a few changes to simplify it but the taste is still deliciously same.

Food is the ingredient that bonds us together. Borekas are easy to make with your kids or grandkids. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll write about it too. Try new foods and build delicious memories. For inspiration, check out this Taste the Globe interactive map.

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Israeli Everything Bagel Cheese Borekas Recipe

~ Free Tip ~

• Substitute mozzarella with kashkaval or provolone cheese.
• You can use fillo dough instead of puff pastry.

How to Make Israeli Everything Bagel Cheese Borekas:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine feta, mozzarella, egg, and salt until well blended. Make sure to break up any large crumbles of feta with the fork.
3. On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry sheets. With rolling pin, roll out each sheet to a 12×12-inch square. Cut it into thirds lengthwise and crosswise to get 9  4-inch squares, for a total of 18 squares. Brush edges of each square lightly with water.
4. Place one heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the center of each square and fold the dough over the filling in half diagonally to form triangular pastries. Firmly pinch the edges together to seal. With the tines of a fork, crimp the edges well.
5. Make the everything-bagel seasoning by combining sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion and garlic flakes.
6. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and milk. Brush the tops of the borekas with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastries are puffed and deeply golden, and the filling is cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Israeli Everything Bagel Cheese Borekas

These Israeli cheese borekas topped with everything bagel seasoning are perfect for parties, picnics, weekly practices and games, breakfast or brunch, and supper.

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast

Cuisine: Israeli

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 18 borekas

Author: Jas

Ingredients

Cheese Borekas

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg beaten

Egg Wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons milk

Everything Bagel Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• ½ teaspoon dried onion flakes
• ½ teaspoons dried garlic flakes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, combine feta, mozzarella, egg, and salt until well blended. Make sure to break up any large crumbles of feta with the fork.
• On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry sheets. With rolling pin, roll out each sheet to a 12x12-inch square. Cut it into thirds lengthwise and crosswise to get 9 4-inch squares, for a total of 18 squares. Brush edges of each square lightly with water.
• Place one heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the center of each square and fold the dough over the filling in half diagonally to form triangular pastries. Firmly pinch the edges together to seal. With the tines of a fork, crimp the edges well.
• Make the everything-bagel seasoning by combining sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion and garlic flakes.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and milk. Brush the tops of the borekas with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastries are puffed and deeply golden, and the filling is cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

~ Free Tip ~

• Substitute mozzarella with kashkaval or provolone cheese.
• You can use fillo dough instead of puff pastry.

Tried this recipe? Rate it below!Mention @all_thats_jas and tag it #allthatsjas

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