Sou Boerag (Cheese-filled Flaky Pastry) is a traditional Armenian recipe for a classic dish of layered flaky pastry with a Feta and Port Salut cheese filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Armenian version of: Cheese-filled Flaky Pastry (Sou Boerag).
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Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
600g plain flour
8 eggs
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cold water
Melted butter for brushing
For the Filling:
340g Port Salut or Muenster cheese, finely diced
340g Feta cheese, finely diced
75g flat-leaf parsley, minced
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Typically a round pan 38cm in diameter and 5cm deep is used for this dish. Use a round cake tin of about the right size. The dough you prepare should be shaped to the size of this baking pan.
Combine the flour, eggs and salt for the pastry in a bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine then add the cold water a little at a time until the ingredients all come together as a dough. Knead until smooth and elastic then divide into balls (about 12 or 13) that are large enough to be rolled out about 3mm thick into circles that will just fit into your baking pan. Place one dough sheet aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to a boil (the pan should be larger than the size of the dough circles). Set a large roasting tin of cold water ton the counter top. As soon as the pan of water is boiling drop the first of the dough circles into this. The dough will sink and then rise to the top. As soon as the dough rises remove with two slotted spoons and drip into the cold water. Turn the sheet a few times in the cold water to ensure it's thoroughly chilled transfer to a clean kitchen towel that's been draped on your work surface. Continue in this manner until all the pastry circles (except the first one) have been cooked. Now blot the top of the cooked pastry with another clean tea towel.
Add six of the cooked pastry circles into your baking tin. Trim each circle to fit the pan and brush the top of each, as you add it, with butter. Now combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and spread on top of the pastry sheets, spreading evenly. Add the remaining pastry circles on top of the filling, brushing the top of each one with melted butter as you add it then butter both sides of the uncooked pastry circle and add this on top of the others.
Transfer the finished dish to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated through and the top is golden brown. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
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