Joan Nathan’s Spinach-Feta Burekas in Puff Pastry

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Joan Nathan’s Spinach-Feta Burekas in Puff Pastry

Prep 30 mins   Bake 15 mins   Eat  45 mins

I made Joan Nathan’s Spinach-Feta Burekas from her new book, King Solomon’s Table for the Culinary Historians of Southern California meeting featuring Joan Nathan this month.  These Spinach-Feta Burekas are delicious with a flaky crust exterior and a punch of flavor from the Bulgarian feta cheese along with the fresh taste from the chopped spinach. They are super easy to make, particularly if you have another person to assist you in assembly line fashion.

The Hospitality Team at the Culinary Historians of Southern California meeting.

I am a founding member of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. This amazing group meets at 10:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month at the beautiful and historic downtown Central Library in Los Angeles.  I have learned so much great culinary information from attending the lectures over the group’s nearly 25-year history. Consider attending and taking a tour through the library that boasts probably the largest public collection of cookbooks that you can take home and savor for a few weeks.

King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from around the World

Joan Nathan impressed the group with tales from writing her book, King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from around the World.  It was fascinating to learn about the history of many of the ingredients and dishes we are familiar with today, while still learning about others from countries like Israel, Morocco, Italy, India, Russia and lots of other places in the world.  I bought her book, which she graciously autographed. It contains classic recipes along with beautifully presented updated dishes with roots from the past…a collection of comfort food dishes you just want to hunker down, cook and share with family and friends.

Bulgarian Feta sheep’s cheese and frozen spinach for the filling.

How to make Joan Nathan’s Spinach-Feta Burekas.

If you have a middle eastern market near you, buy the feta cheese there.  I purchased Bulgarian feta sheep’s cheese at the Super Hayat Market in Torrance, California.  It has a bold flavor that I love.  Then either blanch fresh spinach or defrost frozen spinach, which is what I used. It’s important to get the moisture out of the spinach, so press it through a colander.  Take in your hands and squeeze out the liquid.

The Spinach-Feta mixture is mixed up in the food processor in a flash.

The food processor mixed up the feta and egg mixture in a flash.  I pulsed in the drained spinach and used a small scoop to scoop a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the puff pastry.

Frozen puff pastry squares helped to make the Burekas in a flash.

While Joan Nathan’s book gives you a recipe for making fresh made puff pastry aka laminated dough, I purchased frozen puff pastry squares from the middle eastern market. The last time I made puff pastry was in culinary school, because while it is made with pure butter, hence more delicious, it’s a lot of work and needs to be made a day ahead.  Most supermarkets carry the Pepperidge Farm brand, but I preferred the squares for the size I needed.

The puff pastry squares are cut into fours with a pizza cutter.

After defrosting in the refrigerator overnight, I simply rolled out each square of the puff pastry with some flour from a 5″ x 5″ square into an 8″ x 8″ square, being careful not to roll off the edge and squash the flaky layers that form in the oven.  Then I cut them into fours with a pizza cutter.

Fold over puff pastry to form triangles.

Fold the puff pastry over the spinach-feta mixture to form a triangle. Don’t worry about sealing them, as this helps to create the flaky edge that you desire.

Sesame seeds from an Asian or middle eastern market are less expensive.

Brush each Bureka with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and optional nigella seeds (they look like black sesame seeds). I purchase my sesame seeds at an Asian or middle eastern market, where you get a large package for about $2.  Store them in the refrigerator, as they can get rancid if not used quickly.

The recipe makes 40 generous size Burekas.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden all over the top. Serve immediately or cool on wire racks.  You can store in the fridge and reheat them at 300° just before serving.

The Spinach-Feta Burekas and an Azerbaijani Kukusa were served at our tasting.

A Bureka and a square of the Azerbaijani Kukusa (like a frittata) with Swiss Chard and Herbs were offered at the tasting of the Culinary Historians of Southern California meeting.

Print this Recipe. 

Joan Nathan’s Spinach-Feta Burekas in Puff Pastry

15 ounces spinach, fresh or frozen, defrosted
1 pound feta, cheese, drained and patted dry
2 large eggs
4-6 grindings fresh ground black pepper
10 –  5″ x 5″ squares Puff Pastry, defrosted in the refrigerator
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon nigella seeds (optional)
1 large egg (for egg wash)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375°. If using fresh spinach, submerge it in boiling water for a minute. Place the spinach (fresh or frozen) in a colander and press it to release the liquid . It’s important to get the moisture out of the spinach. Take in your hands and squeeze out the liquid as the final step.

2. Pulse the feta and 2 eggs in the bowl of a food processor until nearly blended. Add the spinach and pulse again a couple times to mix. Add the pepper.

3. Roll out each square of puff pastry with some flour from a 5″ x 5″ square into an 8″ x 8″ square, being careful not to roll off the edge and squash the flaky layers that form in the oven.  Cut the squares into fours with a pizza cutter, making each piece 4″ x 4″. Use a small scoop to scoop a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the puff pastry.

4. Fold the puff pastry over the spinach-feta mixture to form a triangle. Don’t seal the edges, as this helps to create the flaky edge once the Burekas are baked. Place onto parchment lined baking sheets.

5. Break the egg into a small bowl and beat in a teaspoon of water with a fork. Brush each Bureka with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and optional nigella seeds (they look like black sesame seeds).

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden all over the top. Serve immediately or cool on wire racks.  You can store in the fridge and reheat them at 300° just before serving.

Servings: 40 – 123 calories

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5 from 2 votes

Joan Nathan's Spinach-Feta Burekas in Puff Pastry Recipe

The original recipe from Joan Nathan's King Solomon's Table cookbook includes directions for making fresh made puff pastry, which takes at least a day to prepare. To make Burekas in a flash, purchase frozen puff pastry.  It is available in squares or sheets. I prefer the 5" x 5" squares for this recipe.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 40

Calories: 123kcal

Ingredients

• 15 ounces spinach fresh or frozen, defrosted
• 1 pound feta cheese, drained and patted dry
• 2 large eggs
• 4-6 grindings fresh ground black pepper
• 10 – 5″ x 5″ squares Puff Pastry defrosted in the refrigerator
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon nigella seeds optional
• 1 large egg for egg wash

Instructions

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 375°. If using fresh spinach, submerge it in boiling water for a minute. Place the spinach (fresh or frozen) in a colander and press it to release the liquid . It's important to get the moisture out of the spinach. Take in your hands and squeeze out the liquid as the final step.
• Pulse the feta and 2 eggs in the bowl of a food processor until nearly blended. Add the spinach and pulse again a couple times to mix. Add the pepper.
• Roll out each square of puff pastry with some flour from a 5" x 5" square into an 8" x 8" square, being careful not to roll off the edge and squash the flaky layers that form in the oven.  Cut the squares into fours with a pizza cutter, making each piece 4" x 4". Use a small scoop to scoop a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the puff pastry.
• Fold the puff pastry over the spinach-feta mixture to form a triangle. Don't seal the edges, as this helps to create the flaky edge once the Burekas are baked. Place onto parchment lined baking sheets.
• Break the egg into a small bowl and beat in a teaspoon of water with a fork. Brush each Bureka with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and optional nigella seeds (they look like black sesame seeds).
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden all over the top. Serve immediately or cool on wire racks.  You can store in the fridge and reheat them at 300° just before serving.
• ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FRESHFOODINAFLASH.COM

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal