Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Bourekakia
188 kcal a serving, against 504 for the traditional version. That is 316 kcal off, or 63%, with 15.6g of protein. Serves 10. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Triangles of delicate filo pastry wrapped tightly around a heavy mixture of fatty lamb mince and massive blocks of feta, then either shallow-fried in olive oil or baked under a thick coat of clarified butter until saturated.
What changed, and what each change costs
Lamb mince down to 5% fat beef mince
Lamb mince dumps a vast amount of liquid fat straight into the pan as soon as it's hot. Extra-lean beef gives you the savoury bulk and keeps the filling tight without leaving a puddle of grease on the plate.
What it costs you. Beef lacks that distinct earthy sweetness you get from lamb shoulder. You have to work harder with the spices and herbs to make the filling sing.
Heavy feta down to light ricotta and a tiny feta crumble
Feta is brilliant but very rich when used in huge chunks. Light ricotta binds the meat together perfectly while dropping the fat down entirely. A tiny bit of feta brings the sharp salt you need.
What it costs you. Much milder, then. Not a sharp, punchy cheese bomb, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. You miss the aggressive, salty tang of pure baked feta.
Deep frying and butter down to a hot oven and egg white
Frying filo makes it shatter beautifully, but the thin pastry acts as a sponge for the oil. Brushing the parcels with egg white and baking them gets them incredibly crisp for a fraction of the cost.
What it costs you. Baked filo can be slightly dry compared to the fried stuff. You lose that rich, saturated buttery finish on the crust.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 504 | 188 |
| Protein | 14.6g | 15.6g |
| Fat | 41.7g | 7.4g |
| Saturated fat | 16.1g | 3g |
| Carbohydrate | 17.6g | 13.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.9g | 8.3g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk, eggs.
The method is in the book
A highly effective trade. They're incredibly crisp straight out of the hot oven. You miss the slick, oily fingers of the traditional pub version, but you can eat a big plate of these without feeling terrible. The filling is dense, savoury and hits the spot perfectly.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback