Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.
There’s something magical about cooking for Passover. It forces you to think outside of your normal weekday menu rotation, swapping out pasta for potatoes and replacing sandwiches with matzah pizza.
Growing up, we had a book called “Matza 101” with ways to reinvent how you use matzah to create everything from baklava to taco shells. Passover became a time for culinary creativity that felt both like making dinner and completing an arts-and-craft project. Since then, I’ve made matzah into everything from samosas to granola and, now, my beloved borekas.
Borekas are baked pastries that are popular in Sephardic cuisine and are typically made of puff pastry, filo dough or brik pastry. They are often topped with poppy, sesame or nigella seeds, but when it comes to Passover-friendly borekas, we forgo the seeds and use a flaky sea salt instead.
I was inspired by my time roaming Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market, nibbling on flaky, cheese-filled borekas while sipping on pomegranate juice. So I created a handheld Passover meal that can be made in a pinch.
Borekas are normally shaped according to their filling, based on whether they are dairy or parve. Dairy borekas are triangular, whereas parve versions are made into round or square shapes. With their two-cheese filling, these matzah borekas easily take on a triangular shape. Don’t be disheartened if your matzah cracks, keep it submerged in water or moisten with a damp paper towel to make it more pliable. I love the subtle sweetness of butternut squash, but you can use cooked sweet potatoes or even spinach in its place.
Matzah Butternut Feta “Borekas”
Makes 6
- 1 cup butternut squash, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup farmer’s cheese, or ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ tsp. lemon zest
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 eggs, divided, whisked
- 6 pieces of matzah
- Flaky sea salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Toss butternut squash with olive oil, place on one baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until soft. Reduce heat to 375 degrees.
In medium bowl, combine butternut squash, farmer’s cheese, feta cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add one egg to mixture and mix to combine. Set aside.
Pour an inch of warm water into 9-by-13-inch pan. Lay a few pieces of paper towel down on a clean surface. Place matzah in water and let soak for 30 seconds. Remove from water and transfer to paper towel.
Use large knife to cut each piece of matzah diagonally into two triangles. Scoop 3 Tbs. of cheese mixture onto half of matzah, or one triangle, and top with the other triangle, forming a filled triangle. Press down edges. Brush tops of matzah with remaining egg and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden.