Name: Eggplant and Squash Pastries, Izmir Style
Yield: Makes about 30 pastries
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup grated kashkaval or gruyere cheese or a mixture of kashkaval and feta cheese; 1 large, ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (about 1 cup); 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil; 1 globe eggplant, about 1 pound; salt; 1 large zucchini; sesame seeds or extra grated cheese (optional); 1 egg, lightly beaten; ½ cup margarine, melted; ½ cup plain yogurt; ½ cup sunflower or vegetable oil; 3½ cups all-purpose flour, or as needed; 1 teaspoon salt; fine dried bread crumbs or matzoh meal, if needed

Preparation info

Makes about
30
pastries

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Sephardic Flavors

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2000

About

These Turkish pastries from Sefarad Yemekleri are also known as borekas, although the dough is slightly richer and more tender due to the addition of yogurt than the usual dough for borekas. The same filling could also be used in a tapada or in filo pastries. Handrajos were typically served at a festive desayuno (breakfast).