Turkish Cheese Borekas
Yield: 36 small turnovers
Description:
For December, I share a recipe I learned to make in Çesme, Turkey from Senay Ornek, a wonderful cook and food lover, who invited me to her hometown to make this and other delicious Turkish dishes at her family’s small hotel. I worked with Senay, her sister, mother, and aunt making stuffed vegetables, lor cheese and sesame cookies, and Kadim Budu Kofte (“lady’s thigh”) meatballs named for the way they lightly jiggle!
The borekas can be made ahead and frozen before baking to serve at a holiday gathering. The dough gets its’ tangy flavor and tenderness from yogurt; the filling is simply crumbled feta cheese. The black nigella seeds sprinkled on top are essential for their distinct peppery flavor and tiny bits of crunch.
Ingredients (Turkish Cheese Borekas):
- 1¼ pounds (4¾ cups minus 1 tablespoon) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons nigella seeds
Nigella Seed – Many names for the same spice:
- Black caraway (though unrelated to caraway)
- Charnushka (Russian)
- Cörek oto (Turkish)
- Habbat Al Baraka in Arabic (“ blessed seed”)
- Kalonji (Hindi)
- Ketzah (Hebrew), mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
- Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella Damascena), a common blue and white star-shaped flower, is a close cousin.
- Onion seed (though unrelated to onion)
- Schwarzkümmel (black seed) or zwiebelsame (onion seed) (German)
- Siah daneh (Farsi)
- Tikur azmud (Amharic)
Directions (Turkish Cheese Borekas):
- Line two (18 x 13-inch) half-sheet pans (or other large baking pans) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats or rub with softened butter.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yogurt, 1 egg, and the oil. Beat lightly then reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture. Beat only long enough for the dough to come together and form a soft ball.
- Separate the remaining egg and combine the yolk with the feta. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and reserve for the egg wash.
- Divide the dough into 36 small balls about the size of a golf ball. Flatten each ball in the palm of your hand to a circle about 2½ inches in diameter and about 3/8-inch thick. Place about 2 teaspoons of the feta mixture in the center avoiding touching the edges, which will prevent the dough from sealing well. Bring two halves of the dough together and press well to seal.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the turnovers equidistant from each other, about 2 inches apart, on the pans. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with nigella seeds, patting lightly so they adhere. Use a fork to pierce each borekas in a few places to allow steam to escape.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until well-puffed and golden brown. Note that some of the cheese filling will inevitably leak out. Store covered and refrigerated for up to three days. To reheat, wrap in foil and reheat at 350°F for about 20 minutes, uncovering for the last 5 minutes of baking.
- To freeze the borekas, arrange the turnovers (unbaked) on an oiled pan or one lined with parchment paper without touching. Freeze until firm, at least two hours, to keep them separate, and then transfer to a container with a lid, layering with wax paper. Keep frozen until ready to bake, up to three months. Arrange frozen borekas on a baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes or until browned and the filling bubbles out of some of the pastries.
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