Summer vegetable and cheese pastry puffs

Fresh summer vegetables add a delicious twist to these tangy cheese pastry puffs. Just add salad for a perfect light summer meal!

I have a bit of a thing for puff pastry, and I think it all started, years ago, with bourekas. 

When I was a child, we spent a lot of our family holiday in Israel. As well as the famous street food of falafel and humous, I used to love getting bourekas. There was a chain of boureka shops called Sami Bourekas, now sadly defunct, which sold perfect puffy mouthfuls of flaky pastry, filled with soft mashed potato, salty melted cheese, or – if you were feeling particularly adventurous – spinach or mushrooms.

As I recall the shops were takeaway only, and your boureka would be presented in a white paper bag that would quickly become greasy from the hot and savoury pastry puff inside. Ahh, happy days.

Gourmet cheese pastry puffs

Then, when I was about 18 or 19, and in Israel for my gap year, I went on a date with the cousin of a friend. He took me to Jaffa, to the Abulafia bakery, which is an Arab bakery that has been in business there since 1879. Oh boy! The pastry!

As before, my boureka came in a paper bag, and was eaten in the street, but it was a wildy different experience to Sami’s mass produced fast-food-chain pastries. This one was cheesy, salty and savoury, crisp and golden and covered in sesame seeds. I certainly remember more about that little pastry than I do about the guy who took me to eat it…

Delicious bourekas everywhere!

These days, bourekas are readily available – in bakeries, cafes, markets, even the corner shop. You can buy raw, frozen bourekas to bake at home. No need to ever be far away from a warm, slightly greasy, puff pastry mouthful of loveliness.

Well, except that we live in the UK, not in Israel. No boureka shops near me, as far as I’m aware. Time to make our own.

Not a boureka…

It might be made with puff pastry, but I don’t think what I’ve made here could really be classed as a boureka. No Israeli would DREAM of putting these vegetables into a boureka. But they are super delicious in their own right. The onions are soft and savoury, the cheese is mild and slightly salty, and the vegetables are sweet and delicious.

Anglicised bourekas. Vegetable and cheese pastry puffs. The sort of savoury that’s perfect for a garden party. Lovely.

Podding along

I opened 250g pea pods to obtain 120g fresh peas, and 275g of broad bean pods for 65g of broad beans.

Makes 4.

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📖 Recipe

Summer vegetable and cheese pastry puffs

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Fresh summer vegetables add a delicious twist to these tangy cheese pastry puffs. Just add salad for a perfect light summer meal!

2.43 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine British, Israeli

Servings 4

Calories 667 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 medium onion
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 200-250 g broccoli florets (approx. 1 small head of broccoli)
• 65 g shelled broad beans
• 120 g fresh garden peas
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 75 g grated cheese
• 320 g ready-rolled puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).
• 1 medium onion, 2 tablespoon olive oil
  Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat and cook the onion until starting to soften – about 2 minutes.
• 200-250 g (7-8 oz) broccoli florets, 65 g (2 ¼ oz) shelled broad beans, 120 g (4 ¼ oz) fresh garden peas, 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into small pieces and rinse well. Add to the pan with the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3-4 minutes. Add the broad beans and continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the peas and garlic and stir well. Cook for 1-2 minutes and remove from the heat.
• 75 g (⅔ cups) grated cheese
  Stir in the grated cheese and set aside.
• 320 g (11 ¼ oz) ready-rolled puff pastry
  Unroll the puff pastry. Cut into four equally-sized rectangles.
• 1 egg, beaten
  Place a quarter of the filling onto one half of one of the rectangles, leaving a small gap around the edge. Brush the edge with beaten egg, then fold over the other half of the rectangle and press the edges together. Use the tines of a fork to press around the edge and seal.
• Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
• Place the four pastry puffs onto a baking sheet and cut a small slit in the top of each one. Brush the tops with beaten egg, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden.
• Serve hot or warm.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Summer vegetable and cheese pastry puffs

Amount per Serving

Calories

667

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

45

g

69

%

Saturated Fat

 

13

g

81

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

24

g

Cholesterol

 

60

mg

20

%

Sodium

 

358

mg

16

%

Potassium

 

399

mg

11

%

Carbohydrates

 

51

g

17

%

Fiber

 

6

g

25

%

Sugar

 

5

g

6

%

Protein

 

16

g

32

%

Vitamin A

 

792

IU

16

%

Vitamin C

 

59

mg

72

%

Calcium

 

193

mg

19

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword beans, broccoli, cheese, pastry, peas

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