Whipped Feta Boureki

Often is the case that I simply order something on the menu without knowing what it is - like the tomato pepper relish called Esme in Istanbul and this Boureki we discovered on a road that wound through ancient Polirinia in Southern Crete. Our reward was a simple off-grid shack owned by Vasiliki Sfakianaki and her daughter who turns out home-cooked fares like bitter greens Stamnagathi, bone-dry barley rusks topped with grated tomato, capers, olives and a heap of goats cheese served with, of course, our surprise order of Boureki, a baked stack of zucchini, mint and cheese. In our version, we went a bit posh and piped whipped feta across the top, which turned out to be sublime.

Whipped Feta Boureki  (Zucchini, Potato & Cheese Gratin)

SERVES 4

WHIPPED FETA

200g Greek feta cheese

2 egg yolks

100g Greek yoghurt

¼ cup flour

VEGETABLES

2 large zucchini, sliced into 3mm discs (we used yellow & green zucchini)

2t salt

3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 3mm thick discs

4T olive oil, divided

2t oregano

1t black pepper

250g ricotta

1 white onion, chopped

10g mint, chopped

15g parsley, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180 °C.

MAKE THE WHIPPED FETA: Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a high-speed blender and blitz to a smooth paste. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag, push down and seal. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

PREPARE THE ZUCCHINI FILLING:

Place the sliced zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Set aside for 1 hour to drain. The salt will drain the zucchini of excess water, so the gratin does not become watery. Pat the pieces dry with kitchen towel. Combine the zucchini and the potatoes in a large bowl. Pour over 2T of the olive oil, oregano, black pepper and ricotta and toss gently to coat. In a separate bowl, combine the chopped white onions, mint and parsley and mix together. 

In a heat-proof casserole dish or Dutch oven, lay down half the potato and zucchini mix and sprinkle over half the onion/ parsley/mint mixture. Repeat the zucchini and onion layer as before. Drizzle over the remaining 2T olive oil. 

Pipe over the whipped feta mixture. Cover with aluminium foil. Place on the centre rack of the preheated oven and bake covered for 1hr 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 25-30 minutes until the whipped feta is golden brown and the potatoes are tender.

Remove from the oven and serve.

Dear fellow Castaways,

We have found an error in our Castaway cookbook, on page 85 in the Milos chapter – the Whipped Feta Boureki. If you’re feeling inspired to make the dish, please use the corrected recipe above. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. We hope that you continue enjoying our paradise-filled feasting, thank you for your loyalty, and we look forward to sharing more sunset-and-palm-tree-driven experiences with you.

 Yours in Paradise, Team Castaway