Food With Life

Passport & Plate - Petite Pumpkin Borekas (Borekitas de Kalavasa)

Turkey | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
Recipe:

Petite Pumpkin Borekas (Borekitas de Kalavasa)
Makes 3 dozen

Filling:
1 lb. fresh pumpkin (or 1-16 oz. canned pumpkin)
1 egg
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/3 c. firmly packed brown or white sugar
Combine filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Pastry:
4 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons salt
¾ cup safflower oil
1 cup ice water

Topping:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sugar + ½ teaspoon cinnamon, mixed together in separate bowl

 

How to prepare this recipe
Stir filling ingredients together in a medium bowl. The filling should not be runny and should keep its shape if mounded.

To make the dough, measure 4 cups of flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add salt and stir. Whisk the oil and water together in a separate, small bowl. Stir liquids into flour mixture with a fork. Then using your hands, gently gather the dough into a ball. Squeeze the dough together but do not knead it like bread.

Divide the dough into pieces a little larger then an unshelled walnut. Roll each piece in your hands to make a ball. Place the ball on a smooth surface without flour or grease and using a rolling pin, flatten it out into an even circle about 3 inches in diameter, taking care that the edges aren’t too thin. Place a teaspoon or so of filling in the center of each. Fold circles in half and seal edges of the resulting half moon shapes by pressing down and then by twisting them into a rope-like edge. This signature edge takes a little practice. Alternatively, use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Make sure no pumpkin is oozing out, or the borekas will leak when baking. Repeat the rolling and filling with the rest of the balls of dough.

Brush the top of each boreka with beaten egg and sprinkle with either sesame seeds or with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on the baking sheet.

Bake borekas at 400° F for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden. Remove from the oven and place each one gently on a cooling rack.

Enjoy as an appetizer, side dish, or snack!

 

The story behind this recipe
My grandmother’s luminous and cozy home, adorned with watercolor flowers from the wallpaper to the china and furniture of rich saffron tones, was my weekly Friday night haven of Jewish tradition, family time, and of course, stuffing my face with Nana’s tantalizing, homemade, Sephardic cooking. From warm challah bread to savory vegetable soups, long-stewed lamb, and crisp chocolate-chip meringues, there was never a dull moment for my taste buds. But, borekas were a marvel of their own. Since I was a child, my grandmother routinely “hid” the heavenly pastries under a cloth, whispering, “Shh! I don’t want your uncle Rick or David to find these!”, as to defer my spry uncle and cousin from gobbling them all in minutes. The tasty turnovers originate in Turkey where my Sephardic ancestors fled to from Spain during the Inquisition of 1492. Among other Sephardic Jews, my family settled in Turkey, eventually immigrating to Seattle, Washington, my birthplace, for it reminded them of their home with its scenic waterfront and fishing community. Borekas are traditionally made with either phyllo or homemade dough and stuffed with potato and cheese, spinach, eggplant, or mushrooms. Nana mostly bakes the potato and cheese variety, however, borekas de kalavasa, as known in Ladino, the language of the Sephardim, is my absolute favorite. It is during the fall and winter months, when the vibrant orange and umber leaves collect in heaping piles and the brisk winds turn everyone’s noses bright red, that Nana switches to pumpkin. The whole house smells of sweet cinnamon-y warmth and comfort as they bake in the oven, and they are best eaten only partway cooled. The dough, slightly browned and coated with egg, has a pleasant crunch, which complements the creamy, slightly sweet squash filling. I feel obliged to savor the pastries nibble by nibble and my grandmother revels in watching her son and daughters, in-laws, and grandchildren drool over this richly historical and cultural food.