Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Burekas

This is a seasonal twist on classic burekas that I wrote up for alma. (check out their site for the full article). The caramelized onions are the key ingredient in this dish; they always take longer than you think to caramelize, but the resulting flavor is worth the work. This makes a great side, appetizer, or snack during the holidays. 

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Burekas

Makes 24 burekas

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sheets puff pastry (10” x 15”), defrosted in the refrigerator overnight
• 1½ lbs. butternut squash (1 large squash), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 1 large yellow onion, medium diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 1 big fat clove of garlic or 2 medium-sized, minced fine
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2-3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stems
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large egg yolk
• Black and/or white sesame seeds, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Drizzle the halved butternut squash with oil, then place it cut-side down on a sheet pan. You don’t need to peel the squash. Roast until the squash is fully cooked and tender, about 35-45 minutes.

While the squash is baking, caramelize your onion by putting a few tablespoons of butter with a drizzle of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium low heat. If keeping the dish non-dairy, use just olive oil. Add the diced onion to the pan, and sauté over low or medium low heat until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with a generous pinch of salt and then continue to let the onion cook and caramelize, stirring occasionally so the onion doesn’t burn; make sure to keep the heat fairly low. This is where patience comes in, beautiful caramelized onions can take 30-45 minutes to make. You want your onions golden and sweet, you don’t need to caramelize them until they’re a deep brown. This is a good tutorial if you need it.

Add the minced garlic to the caramelized onions, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant but not at all browned. Turn off the heat.

Once the squash is cooked and slightly cooled, scoop the inside of the squash into a bowl and discard the peel. Add the caramelized onion to the squash. Mix together. The mixture should be soft and not too lumpy.

Mix in the ground coriander, thyme, and cayenne. Taste, and then season with salt and pepper as desired. Allow the squash mixture to cool before assembling the burekas. You can make this filling up to two days in advance and store in the fridge.

To assemble the burekas: roll out a sheet of puff pastry until rectangular and just slightly thinner than when it comes out of the package. Divide the dough into 12 squares: cut the dough in half widthwise, and then cut each half into half again. Next, cut the dough into thirds lengthwise. Put a spoonful of the filling into each square. Fold over the dough to form a triangle shape, and press the edges together. There’s no need to crimp or press too hard, the filling will stay put, and you want to ensure there are layers of flaky pastry.

Transfer the formed triangular burekas onto a baking sheet, place each bureka about an inch apart, 12 will fit on each baking sheet. At this point, you can freeze the burekas and reserve them for when you’re ready to bake.

Before baking, combine the large egg yolk with a small splash of water. Beat well. Brush the tops of the burekas with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and flaky. Transfer to a wire baking rack, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Burekas are best served warm or at room temperature.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart

Whether you're looking to make a substantial vegetarian dish for your Thanksgiving table, or whether you just love making savory tarts any time of year, this recipe is super easy, delicious, and endlessly modifiable.

Yes, it uses store bought puff pastry. In terms of pre-made things, puff pastry and phyllo dough are two of things I prefer to buy already made. They're complicated and time consuming pastry to make at home, and there are excellent versions of both at the market.

In the picture above I made the tart without egg and creme fraiche/sour cream. The egg and cream will bind the mushrooms a little better, but frankly, I didn't mind it with the mushrooms coming apart a bit. It tasted more mushroomy. If you do use the egg binder, then make sure you're mixture isn't too wet or your tart will get soggy.

If you're not a mushroom fan, you can take the same principles for making this tart, and make it with a combination of any other kind of filling: roasted squash and fennel, sautéed zucchini pepper and feta, potato leek... you get the idea. Basically, you want the filling to be mostly or partially cooked, so that you're really just putting the tart in the oven for the pastry's sake.

You can check out a video of this recipe on our Thanksgiving Pies series over at The Assembly Line . You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook for weekly recipes and videos.

Mushroom Goat Cheese Tart

Makes one tart, serves 6-8

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced thin
• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced thin (crimini, oyster, hen of the woods, chanterelles or
• whatever is available)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced fine
• splash of sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)
• 1 medium egg
• ⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled (or to taste)
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cold
• chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Add the sliced shallots to the butter and oil. Stir and let the shallots heat up for 2 minutes, until just fragrant and slightly softened. Add the mushrooms to the shallots, and cook until the mushrooms are softened and the moisture has evaporated, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and sherry vinegar to the pan and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and allow the mushrooms to fully cool.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream and egg until the egg is fully incorporated. Add the sour cream mixture to the cooled mushroom mixture in the bowl, stir until fully combined.

Roll out your puff pastry so that it is larger in size than a large dinner plate. Using the dinner plate upside down as a stencil, cut a circle out of the puff pastry. Using a smaller salad plate, gently score an inner circle inside of the larger puff pastry circle. Using a fork, gently poke the inner circle of the puff pastry.

To assemble the tart- Add the mushroom mixture to the inner circle of pastry. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms, any extra liquid can remain in the bowl. Top with goat cheese and thyme. Brush the outer edges of the pastry with egg wash.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is browned and fully cooked.  Once fully cooked, top with fresh chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.