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Twelve Turkish borekitas sprinkled with sesame seeds on a piece of parchment.
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5 / 11 votes

Borekitas with Cheese Filling

These borekitas are a traditional Sephardic recipe made with pastry dough and ample cheese filling.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: Turkish
Servings: 30 servings
Calories: 113

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 8 ounces cream cheese or soft white cheese, such as whole-milk ricotta or farmer cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the filling

  • 5 ounces feta, (NOT the pre-crumbled sort)
  • 8 ounces soft white cheese, such as whole-milk ricotta or farmer cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 very small potato, peeled, boiled, and mashed (optional)

For the topping

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
US - Metric

Instructions

For the dough

  • In a bowl, mix together the dough ingredients until crumbly. Gently shape the dough into a round, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the filling

  • Mix the cheeses, egg, and potato, if using, in a bowl until smooth.

For the assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
  • Divide the dough into 4 portions. Working with 1 portion dough at a time, turn it onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter or an upside-down glass that's 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out circles from each portion. You should have 24 to 30 circles total.
  • Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center of each circle, fold in half to form a semicircle, and pinch the edges to seal. (You may have a little filling left over after making all the borekitas.) Transfer the filled pastries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

For the topping

  • Brush the top of each borekita with the lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  • Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. 
  • Remove the borekitas from the oven, let cool to warm or room temperature, and succumb. (It turns out that the baked borekitas freeze well, too, allowing you to make them ahead and thaw them for a few hours on the kitchen counter.) Originally published August 4, 2014.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 167mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.4g