The Bourekas That Survived a Customs Officer Inspection

Shared by Amir Nathan
Recipe Roots: Istanbul > Ramleh, Israel > Ofakim, Israel > Bat Yam, Israel > Brooklyn

Amir’s grandmother Susan (right) and grandfather Yakov (left) in Taksim Square, Turkey in 1944.

In 1945 Amir Nathan’s paternal grandparents prepared to move from Istanbul to British Mandate Palestine. His grandmother Susan, whose Turkish name was Sultana, came from a large Jewish family who owned a grocery store in a suburb of the city. Her nickname was Sultana La Bakala, which in Ladino means the Sultana of the store, says Amir. His grandfather Yakov, who served in the Turkish military was from a Turkish and Greek family. Together, they looked for a place to live more comfortably as Jews. 

As they packed and set out to make Aliyah, “The last thing they did before they got on the boat was make bourekas,” Amir, who is the co-founder of Sami & Susu in Brooklyn, explains. His grandmother brought a tray of the flaky pastries with her to the docks. At the time, Jews were not permitted to emigrate from Turkey with valuable belongings, he adds, retelling a story he read in his late grandfather Yakov’s diary, which Amir’s dad had translated for the family. 

Susan (right) and her sister (Alegre) in the streets of Istanbul in 1945.

Thinking Susan could have cleverly hidden a diamond or other valuable items in the bourekas, customs officers broke into each one of her pastries to inspect them. They found nothing but layers of pastry and filling. “He wrote in his diary: ‘I’m happy they didn’t find anything, because then we could eat them on the boat,’” Amir says, laughing as he recalls the story. 

In Israel, bourekas remained an integral part in Susan’s kitchen in Bat Yam, a town south of Tel Aviv, where many Turkish Jews lived. Growing up in Beer Sheva, 100 kilometers away, visits to Susan’s house were often accompanied by a day at the sea. Amir and his family would pick up a watermelon, take it to the beach, and then return for lunch. On each visit, there were bourekas sitting on a tray in the kitchen, ready to be snacked on before a meal was served. 

“In a way, it’s like people who always have cookies at home…. There was always a tray. There was always bourekas,” Amir says. Susan’s bourekas were shaped into half moons or sometimes triangles and filled with salty cheese, or spinach with cheese, or roasted eggplant. 

Susan (right), her older sister Ester (center) with their cousins in Istanbul in 1936.

Family and visitors would snack on them as she prepared a lunch of agristada, a lemon-laced soup with meatballs, leek fritters, and salad, or a meal of roasted peppers, which she stuffed with lamb or beef, parsley, and pine nuts. And the bourekas traveled with her. When she visited Amir and his family, she always brought some along. 

Despite the omnipresence of Susan’s bourekas in Amir’s life, he never made them with his grandmother. He first tried his hand at replicating them a few times when he was in high school, but wasn’t successful. He switched to making her grape leaves, which were a bit easier, he says. 

Susan sadly passed away in 2009. A few years ago, Amir returned to the task of replicating her bourekas, calling his mother, who is close with his aunt, who also makes bourekas. There was no formal recipe to share. He was told: “Oh yeah, she makes phyllo dough: water, flour, oil.” 

He persisted in trying — and he had an advantage. In his 20s, Amir moved to New York City to attend college and ultimately started working in restaurants. At Sami & Susu, he’s partnered with executive chef Jordan Anderson, working on recipe ideas together. When it came to recreate the bourekas, as they have other family recipes, they did it in their own way. “We want the result to be similar,” but also to incorporate what they’ve learned in their careers, for instance, that the dough works better when it’s cold and they prefer a larger boureka, so diners can make it into a meal with a salad. Amir adds: “We [can] always improve it with every generation.”

Spinach and Feta Bourekas

Makes: 10 bourekas
Total Time: 1 ½ hours active + 3 hours inactive

Ingredients
For the filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
10 bunches of spinach (about 5 pounds), cleaned de-stemmed and dried
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound feta or bulgarian cheese, crumbled

For the dough:
2 ½ cups all purpose flour 
½ teaspoon kosher salt 
½ teaspoon sugar
¾ cup plus 3-5 tablespoons room temperature water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup melted butter, room temperature 

For egg wash:
1 egg yolk, beaten
Flaky sea salt
Sesame seeds

Preparation
1. Make the filing: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and crushed garlic. Fry the garlic until just browned, about 3 minutes and add the chili flakes and enough spinach to fit the pan. Stir and cover with a lid. Stir occasionally until the spinach is wilted and cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining spinach leaves into the skillet and repeat until all the spinach leaves are cooked. Transfer the spinach mixture off the heat and let it cool until it can be easily handled. Place the spinach mixture into a clean kitchen towel and squeeze as much liquid out of the mixture as possible. Finely chop the drained spinach and place it into a large mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper and the feta or bulgarian cheese, and mix until evenly combined. Set aside.

2. Make the dough: Place the flour, salt, and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix for a few seconds to combine and continue mixing on low speed. Gradually add the water and oil while mixing, and continue kneading the dough. Add enough water until the dough is smooth and firm but not sticky. Transfer the dough to a floured counter and knead for about 1 minute until it is formed into a unified ball. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Transfer the dough balls onto a baking sheet that is generously greased with neutral oil. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer into the refrigerator. Let the dough rest for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Assemble the bourekas: Transfer the dough from the refrigerator and place the dough balls onto a floured surface. Take one dough ball and roll it out into a rectangle that is as thin as possible. Once the dough is at its thinnest, use the palm of your hands to very gently stretch out the dough to a rectangle that is about 10 inches by 15 inches, waiting a few seconds between each stretch for the dough to relax. Brush the dough with melted butter, make sure to cover the surface all the way to the edges. Take about ⅓ to ½ cup of the filling and place it in a horizontal log shape along onto the closest longest edge of the dough. Roll the dough into a log over itself and place the seam side down. Take one edge of the log and roll it to meet the other edge of the log to create a spiral shaped boureka. Transfer the boureka onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat rolling, filing and shaping the remaining dough balls. 

5. Once the 10 bourekas are shaped, brush them with the beaten egg yolk, sprinkle a generous pinch of salt on each boureka and liberally sprinkle with sesame seeds.

6. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, lower the oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 45 minutes until the bourekas are deep golden brown and puffed.

7. Serve immediately with a side of labneh and chopped salad.