Borekitas

(Joseph De Leo)

Using Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food as a guide, these little spinach and cheese pies will make you feel like you just stepped into grandma’s kitchen.

Cook Time:20 min

Prep Time:55 min

Total Time:1 hours15 min

Servings: 20

Ingredients:

4 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounce fresh spinach, washed

1 ounce feta cheese

2 tablespoon whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

5 ounce feta cheese

2/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

Preparation:

Cut the butter into small pieces and allow to come to room temperature.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor with ¼ cup of water and run it until a smooth, homogeneous dough forms.

Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for about 20 minutes before using.

In a large pot, put about 2 inches of water, and place over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the salt and spinach. Cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes, then drain.

Once the spinach has cooled, squeeze excess water out and coarsely chop.. Place the spinach in a bowl. Crumble the feta and add it along with the ricotta. Mix thoroughly.

Put all three cheeses in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 350° F on the bake setting.

Take a walnut size ball of dough, and press it with your fingers into a disk 2 inches in diameter. Put about 1 tablespoon of either cheese or spinach filling on the disk. Fold the disk over the filling to form a half-moon shape. Pinch the open sides to seal them, and place on a nonstick baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.