Ingredients

Method

For the dough:
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 t salt
• 660 g flour, sifted
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• 4 T Parmesan, for sprinkling
For the filling, mix:
• 400 g potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
• 200 g Swiss chard or spinach leaves, steamed, drained, squeezed dry and finely chopped
• 2 extra-large, free-range eggs, beaten
• 150 g Parmesan, grated (or half Parmesan and half feta)

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the dough, place the oil, water and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool. When tepid, add the flour all at once and blend thoroughly. Knead very lightly only to shape the dough into a ball, taking care not to overwork it. Place on a lightly floured board. Cover with a bowl and leave to rest while you make the filling.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Divide the dough in half or into quarters if it makes it easier to roll out thinly. Dust the dough lightly with flour. Roll out very thinly between 2 sheets of baking paper to form a rectangle. Cut into rectangles roughly 14 x 8 cm. Place the filling down the centre. Fold over the ends, then roll over lengthways to encase the filling.
3. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Flatten slightly using the palm of your hand. Brush the pies with beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cook's note: These are adapted from the Sephardic bourekas, in turn adapted from the Turkish borek, a traditional small pie. There are so many variations of both pastry and fillings. Here I’ve used a hot-water pastry and have made them larger, but still easy to hold in one hand with a glass of wine in the other.

Discover more pie recipes here.