Bourekia

Bourekia

Cypriot sweet cheese pastry, makes 20-25

Ingredients

Makes 20-25

Dough
plain flour      250g
sunflower oil    55g
warm water       110g
salt             5g

Filling
anari or ricotta 300g
caster sugar     55g
ground cinnamon  3g

To finish
sunflower oil    500g
icing sugar      to dust

Anari is a fresh Cypriot whey cheese, similar to ricotta. Ricotta is a good substitute.
These are deep-fried, not baked. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Recipe

1. Mix the flour and salt. Add the oil and rub in until sandy. Add the water a little at a time until the dough just comes together into a soft smooth ball. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

2. Mix the anari, sugar and cinnamon until smooth.

3. Roll the dough thin, either with a rolling pin or through a pasta machine to setting 4-5.

4. Place small teaspoons of filling at 5cm intervals along one half of the dough. Fold the other half over. Press around each mound to remove air. Cut into individual pastries with a round cutter or glass. Crimp the edges firmly with a fork.

5. Heat the oil in a small deep saucepan to 170°C. Fry in batches of 4, turning once, until golden all over, about 2-3 minutes per batch.

6. Drain on kitchen paper. Dust with icing sugar and a pinch of cinnamon while still warm.