Zucchini and cheese burek, a delicious, light dish with mediterranean flavor and intense aromas.The cheese, melted by the heat, gives to this dish a unique flavor.
This zucchini and cheese burek recipe is the one that my mom used to prepare. It is a dish of Chania (Crete), although I must say that there are several variations. This dish is usually prepared with fillo pastry for burek. It can also be prepared without fillo and this is the version that I give you today.
Zucchini and cheese burek
 Difficulty: medium |
 Prep time: 1 &1/2 hours |
 Bake: 1 hour |
 Serves: 6 |
 Cost: low |
Ingredients
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- 1 kg zucchini
- 300 g ricotta cheese
- 200 g feta cheese
- 6 peeled tomatoes
- 1 ripe tomato
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 tablespoon mint
- olive oil
- salt
Instructions
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Remove the ends of the zucchini, wash and cut into slices thick 1/2 cm, following the length.
Salt the zucchini, put them in a colander and leave for 1 hour so that they can eliminate their liquid.
Add salt to ricotta cheese (it’s salt-free in Italy) and mix with feta cheese.
Cut peeled tomatoes and 1 fresh ripe tomato in slices and add salt.
Wash and dry the mint and parsley, chop them with the onion and mix with the tomatoes.
Take a baking dish and pour with some olive oil on the bottom .
Flour the zucchini slices, one at a time, eliminate the excess of flour, and lay them, next to one another, in the pan.
Arrange the tomatoe cubes on the zucchini slices.
Make another layer of floured zucchini and spread over the cheese.
Make a last layer of floured zucchini.
Pour some olive oil on the last layer of zucchini, gently spreading it over the entire surface with a brush.
Cut the surface of the zucchini, using a very sharp knife, for serving sizes.
Be careful not to get to the bottom with the knife, just cut the zucchini of the last layer.
Bake in a preheated oven, at 180 °C (356° F), for about 1 hour. The surface should be golden and the zucchini hold.
Serve zucchini and cheese burek warm!
Advice
Do not cut the zucchini and cheese burek while still hot, otherwise the portions not remain intact.
This is a dish that can be enjoyed cold too.
Note
In Crete we prepare this dish with a cheese called mizithra, but if you can’t find it you can use ricotta and feta cheese.
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