Spinach and Feta Briouat

Briouat (pronounced bree-wat) is the Moroccan name for this flaky pastry with a variety of possible fillings. Tunisian call them briks, and in Algeria they are boureks. They are traditionally made with a pastry dough called ouarka, but phyllo dough or egg roll wrappers are a good substiture, depending on what shape you intend to make them. They can be rolled into cigar shapes, or folded up into triangles or rectangles. Popular fillings are vegetables like spinach or mashed potatoes, chicken, tuna and eggs, or seafood.

These spinach feta briouats are rolled up into a thin cigar shape, which is one of the easiest methods of shaping the dough.

You can either bake or fry these pastries. If you plan to bake them brush the phyllo dough with melted butter after you roll them up. Line them up on a baking sheet, and then bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 12-15 minutes.

For frying you do not need to use butter, although you can brush on some beaten egg to seal the phyllo dough. Fry them in about 2 inches of vegetable oil, heated up to 365°F or until a piece of dough dropped in the pan sizzles and turns brown. If you plan to bake them preheat your oven to 425°F, and bake on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes.

Ingredient list

• 1 ten ounce package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained (You can also use 1 1 ⁄ 2 pounds fresh spinach, stems removed and cooked)
• 4 ounces feta cheese (about 3 ⁄ 4 cup)
• 1 egg
• 1 ⁄ 2 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1 ⁄ 2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon dried mint, or a bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon salt
• 1 ⁄ 2 pound phyllo dough
• 1 stick melted butter for baking, or about 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

1. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the spinach. In a large bowl, combine spinach, feta cheese, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, mint, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Mix together well.
2. Lay phyllo dough with long edge facing you, and cut into 4 equal sections, each about 4 inches wide. If you are baking the briouats, have a stick of melted butter on hand, and preheat your oven to 425°F.


3. Place a tablespoon of spinach mixture at the end of a phyllo length. I use a thickness of two sheets of phyllo because it stays drier is much easier to work with.
4. Fold the ends of the phyllo sheets over the filling about 1 ⁄ 2 inch, and then roll up into a cigar shape. If you plan to bake it, brush all over with melted butter.


5. To fry, heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy (preferably cast iron) pan until a piece of dough sizzles and turns brown when you drop in into the oil. Fry the briouats, turning occasionally, until golden brown.
6. Or, bake for about 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 30 spinach feta briouats.