Easter Cheese Pies – Flaounes
For the dough
5 glasses self-raising flour
2-3 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
6-7 cherry mahaled grains
6-7 small mastic grains
1 teaspoon sugar
1 glass oil
1 1/2 glass lukewarm milk
For the filling
1 kg flaouna cheese
½ glass semolina
1 piece yeast, the size of a large egg (it may be provided from bakeries)
5-6 eggs
6-7 cherry mahaleb grains
6-7 small mastic grains
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Lots of fresh mint, finely chopped
¾ -1 glass raisins (optional)
1 ½ glasses sesame seeds
1 egg for brushing
To make the filling, grate the cheese 1-3 days in advance, if desired. Put in an
uncovered dish and chill. Stir once or twice daily to dry. The cheese mixture may
be prepared either the previous night or 4-5 hours in advance. Whisk the eggs
well. Combine the cheese with semolina. Make a well in the centre, place the
yeast in it and on top add some of the egg. Start pressing and rubbing the yeast,
egg and some cheese with your fingertips to dissolve the yeast. Add as many eggs
as needed to make a rather firm mixture. Cover with a kitchen towel and set
aside. To make the dough, mix the flour, baking powder, mastic and the cherry
mahaleb pounded with 1 teaspoon sugar. Pour in the oil and rub into the flour
using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead with as
much milk as needed to make a rather fluffy dough. Cover with a kitchen towel
for ½ hour. Before starting rolling out the dough, finish the filling by adding the
mint, baking powder, raisins (if using), cheery mahaleb and the mastic pounded
with 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir well. Rinse the sesame seeds, drain and place on a
kitchen towel. Roll out the dough thinly to give a round or square shape of the
size required. Place each piece of dough on the sesame seeds and press on the
bottom side only. In the centre of each piece put sufficient filling for the size of
the dough and fold the four sides to form a square shape, leaving the filling in the
centre uncovered. Using a fork, press the four corners of the square. You brush
the flaounes with egg and sesame seeds and then you put them into the oven and
you bake for about 30 minutes
Pastries with Fresh Anari Cheese-Bourekia me
Freska Anari
For the dough
4 glasses self- flour
pinch of salt
2/3 glass oil
4/5 -1 glass lukewarm water
For the filling
1 kg Fresh Anari cheese
4-5 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3-5 tablespoons rose water
Oil for frying
icing sugar for dusting
To make the dough, mix the salt with flour and pour in the oil. Using
your fingertips rub the oil into the flour until the mixture resembles fine
breadcrumbs. Knead with as much water as needed to make a firm
dough. Cover with a kitchen towel for half an hour. To make the filling,
mash the Anari with a fork. Mix in the cinnamon, sugar and as much
rose water as needed to make a fluffy mixture. Roll out the dough into
a thin sheet and cut it into small of 8x10 cm each. Place about 2
teaspoons of filling on each piece. Fold the pastry over the filling to
enclose it completely and using a glass or cutter to make half a circle
shape. If you roll out the dough using a pasta-machine, place the filling
lengthwise at equal intervals, fold the sheet over and cut. Continue
until all the dough and filling is used. Heat the oil and fry the bourekia,
a few at a time, until golden brown. Drain bourekia in a strainer and
transfer to a platter. When cool, sprinkle with icing sugar. It makes 7080 bourekia.
Note: Sprinkle the dough with flour before rolling it out on a floured
surface. When the bourekia are cut, place them on a floured surface
until you are ready to fry them. Before you serve them sprinkle some
powdered sugar.
Kyriaki Vassiliou