Stuffed Bourekas

My maternal grandmother, who came from Yugoslavia, was known for her cooking, and most admired by me for making bourekas – little savory pastries that were filled with cheese, spinach or potatoes. We devoured them as snacks or as a light meal with her pungent salad of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers swimming in a strong vinaigrette.

Fortunately these Middle Eastern treats are readily available at , prepared by pastry chef Vittorio Gagliardo.

The Dish: Bourekas

What’s Inside: various filling are enfolded in puff pastry: cheese, potato and spinach with feta cheese. The dough pockets are sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked until golden.

How’s It Taste: The dough is flaky. There’s a bit of pepper in the potato boureka; the mild ricotta-type cheese in the cheese boureka has a smooth flavor while the spinach and cheese bourekas are somewhat stronger due to the tangier cheese.

The bourekas can be eaten at room temperature or heated in the oven.

The bourekas cost $1 each.