094Cretan boureki

Method

Traditional Chania pastry-encased version. Serve warm or at room temperature with a simple tomato salad.

You will need

• baking dish (approx 32 x 24 cm)
• rolling pin
• colander
• pastry brush

1. Toss the sliced courgettes with 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a colander and let them purge excess water for 25 minutes, then press them firmly dry in a clean tea towel. 25 min Ready when: courgette slices are noticeably wilted and dry
2. Make the dough by combining 400 g flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 60 ml olive oil, and 150 ml water, kneading for 5 minutes into a soft dough, then covering it to rest for 20 minutes. 20 min Ready when: dough is smooth and rests quietly
3. Preheat a conventional oven to 190°C (375°F) and oil a 32 x 24 cm metal or ceramic baking dish. 5 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: oven is fully heated
4. Roll out slightly more than half the dough on a lightly floured surface into a sheet large enough to cover the base and sides of the baking dish, then lay it into the dish. 8 min Ready when: dough lines base and drapes over edges
5. Arrange half the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the base, season with a pinch of pepper, dust lightly with a tablespoon of flour, and scatter over one-third of the crumbled cheese and fresh mint. 4 min Ready when: potatoes form an overlapping base layer
6. Layer half the drained courgettes over the potatoes, dust with flour, scatter with cheese and mint, and repeat the layering with the remaining potatoes, courgettes, cheese, and mint, finishing with a drizzle of 30 ml olive oil. 5 min Ready when: all vegetables and herbs are compactly layered
7. Roll out the remaining dough, cover the dish, crimp the edges together tightly to seal, brush the top with the remaining 30 ml olive oil, score the pastry lightly into portion squares, and scatter with sesame seeds. 6 min Ready when: top crust is taut and neatly crimped
8. Bake in the conventional oven for 65 to 70 minutes until the pastry is deep amber-brown and a knife inserted into the centre meets soft vegetables. 70 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: crust is crisp and deep golden, bubbling at the edges
9. Let the boureki rest on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing, allowing the layers to settle and absorb all moisture. 30 min Ready when: baking dish is warm rather than scalding to the touch

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Make ahead and storing

Can be assembled 4 hours in advance and chilled unbaked, or baked the morning of serving.

Fridge 3 days; reheats well in a moderate oven to crisp the crust.

Substitutions

• ricotta combined with mild feta for fresh Cretan mizithra or fresh anthotyros. A mixture of 350 g drained ricotta and 150 g feta provides the right balance of moisture and slight saltiness.

Common mistakes

• Skipping salting and purging the courgettes. Courgettes release enormous moisture, which makes the bottom pastry soggy and waterlogs the pie.
• Slicing potatoes too thickly. Thick potato slices remain hard and crunchy while the courgettes disintegrate.

Regional variants

• Crustless style: baked without dough, simply dusted heavily with flour and breadcrumbs in the dish.
• Malaka cheese version: traditional in Chania town using local unsalted curd cheese.

About the dish

Boureki Chanion is the signature summer dish of western Crete, particularly associated with the city and region of Chania. While the name reveals Ottoman linguistic roots, the dish has become thoroughly Cretan, relying on fresh garden courgettes, thinly sliced potatoes, copious amounts of fresh spearmint, and mild sheep or goat whey cheese (mizithra or malaka). It is traditionally layered in a heavy tin-lined copper pan or earthenware dish, sometimes baked crustless, but most commonly encased between two sheets of olive-oil pastry.

Found in Crete. Cooked for everyday, summer, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Börek (Turkish). Shares the Ottoman name for layered pastries, though in Chania it developed into a unique, herb-packed layered courgette gratin, made with or without pastry.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

771 kcal · protein 23.8 g · fat 39.1 g (saturated 15.5 g) · carbohydrate 82.4 g (sugars 7.8 g) · fibre 6.3 g · sodium 1303 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Chania home-cooking tradition where garden courgettes are married with summer spearmint..

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