Cretan boureki is a typical recipe from the island of Crete, a kind of savory pie that I had been planning to make for a long time and I thank those who kindly helped me by giving me tips.
It’s a kind of savory pie with zucchini, potatoes, myzíthra cheese typical of the island, which I replaced with Greek feta and sheep’s ricotta since we don’t have it here, and being a sheep’s cheese I made a mix to get closer to the original taste.
I had wanted to make it for a while, and I finally did, and I must say that it was well received at the table.
The only thing is, if I were to make it again, I might cut the potatoes slightly thinner, even though they were cooked, perhaps cut thinner they would incorporate better with the other ingredients. For the recipe, I used sheep’s ricotta from the Pinna cheeses company, rich in history and their products are a guarantee.
Anyway, I recommend you try it and if you make this or any of my other recipes on my blog, feel free to send me your photos and I’ll post them on my fb page in your name.
About 600 kcal per person
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Greek
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make Cretan Boureki
- 2 lbs and 7 oz zucchini
- 2 lbs potatoes (peeled)
- 9 oz sheep's ricotta
- 9 oz Greek feta
- 4 tablespoons cooking cream
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan
- 5 oz cherry tomatoes
- to taste dried oregano
- to taste fresh mint (dried mint is also fine)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 espresso cup extra virgin olive oil (about 3 oz)
- 2 tablespoons Ouzo (Greek liqueur, or alternatively anise liqueur)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 4.4 oz lukewarm water
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Tools
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 Baking Dish Oven baking dish
Preparation of Cretan Boureki
First, wash the zucchini, remove the ends, cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick, and set aside.
Then peel the potatoes, wash them, and also cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick, and set aside.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into slices, setting them aside.
Take the ricotta and feta, blend them together, and set aside as well.
Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil at the bottom of a round or rectangular baking dish with fairly high edges, mix the potatoes and zucchini in a bowl with oregano, mint, salt, pepper, then pour half into the dish leveling.
Then distribute half of the feta and ricotta mixture, pour in the remaining zucchini and potatoes, level, add the remaining feta and ricotta, then cover with cherry tomatoes.
Finally, mix the cream with the Parmesan and spread it over the surface to finish the dish.
Drizzle a little oil equal to the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and bake in a hot oven at 356°F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, but this will also depend on the water the zucchini release, so it may take longer.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the dough by combining the flour, extra virgin olive oil.
The Ouzo, salt, pepper, and gradually add the required water until you get a soft workable dough.
Obviously, you will start mixing it in a bowl and then finish it on a work surface.
Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
When the vegetables are cooked, take them out of the oven and let them cool a bit while we prepare the sheets for the boureki.
Get a rectangular baking dish of about 9.5 in x 13.8 in, divide the dough into two parts and roll one half into a thin sheet covering the bottom of the dish so that the dough is also on the edges.
Pour all the cooked vegetables into the dough-covered dish, leveling the mixture, then roll out the other half of the dough, cover the pie, and seal the edges well.
In a glass, beat an egg yolk with a little water and brush the surface of the savory pie, then finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Bake in a hot oven at 356°F for about 20-25 minutes and when cooking is completed, let it rest for a few minutes before serving, then cut it into 6 equal parts and I recommend leaving it in the dish for a few more minutes so it will be easier to serve because when it’s still hot it’s not too stable… this doesn’t mean it will be watery after cooking, but still soft so these are just tips!
Practically from taking it out of the oven to serving it, at least another 20 minutes will pass before putting it on the plate.
