A mix of early spring greens and fresh peas. Maigre was a phonetic spelling of the French maigre, or meager, referring to the soup’s lack of meat. A meager soup.
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Borekas de Calabaza- Sephardic Pumpkin Turnovers
The dough for these borekas, which are more like tiny hand pies than a traditional filo dough boureka, is a lovely, crunchy pie crust. Typical of Sephardic-American recipes, it calls for oil, usually olive oil, for a parve dough with Mediterranean influence. But, it is an extremely difficult dough to work with: it flakes, rips, sticks and is tough to roll out.
The original recipe was taken from "Sephardic Holiday Cooking" by Guilda Angel, first edition published in 1986. I’ve made a few adjustments and worked out a system to deliver fairly foolproof, pretty pies with a crisp crust and yummy center. Feel free to play around with the filling; try different spices, nuts, or even a dash of Sabra chocolate-orange liqueur.
Makes about three dozen.
Filling:
1 can (15 ounces) cooked pumpkin
1 egg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup chopped walnuts
Pastry:
1 cup vegetable oil (preferably olive oil)
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream (optional)
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Toast the walnuts in a skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, stir together filling ingredients.
4. In another bowl, whisk together oil, water, salt and cinnamon. Add in flour two cups at a time, stirring to mix at first, and then using your hands to form a dough slightly softer than pie dough.
5. Divide dough into balls, about two inches in diameter. On a lightly floured surface, with a rolling pin roll each ball into a rough circle until the dough is ⅛ inch thick.
6. Place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold circle in half, sealing edges by pressing with the tines of a fork.
7. Trim rough edges using a round cookie or biscuit cutter.
8. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water, milk or cream. Brush boreka tops with this mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
9. Baked on a greased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden on the bottom.
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