Easy Cheese Bourekas (Dairy)

Like their Turkish namesake the borek, Israeli bourekas may be filled with a wide variety of filings, though simple cheese or potato bourekas are especially popular. In Israel, you'll find them on offer at all times of the day, both at mealtimes or as snacks. Giora Shimoni recalls that "a typical dinner in my Israeli home as a child included tuna salad or eggs, Israeli salad, and cheese bourekas." He says that "bourekas are readily available in any Israeli grocery store, but homemade bourekas can't be beat. And kids enjoy preparing them." His simple cheese-filled version uses frozen puff pastry and mozzarella cheese.

Make It A Meal: Offer a counterpoint to the rich puff pastry by serving the bourekas with Israeli salad, or heirloom tomato salad with goat cheese and arugula. A mushroom and onion omelet or bowl of roasted carrot, apple, and celery soup would round out the meal nicely. 

Miri's Recipe Tips: Mozzarella may be easy to find, but it's texture and mild flavor aren't exactly characteristic of the briny tang you'd usually find in Israeli cheese bourekas. Swap some or all of the mozzarella for a mix of feta and Kashkaval, or even some g'vina levana (a creamy Israeli cheese with sour cream-like notes) or goat cheese, and you'll get a little closer to the Israeli-style cheese boureka.