Bichak (stuffed Baked Tricorners)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c water
- 1 ts sugar
- 1 pk (1/4 oz, 7 grams) dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups Flour
- 3 tb oil
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 egg yolk, beaten wITH 1/2 teaspoon oil
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 md (2 cups) onions, chopped
- 1 cup hot water and 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 pound butternut squash, calabasa or pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1/2-in pieces
- 2 tb oil
- 3 onions, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef or lamb
- salt to taste
- 1/4 ts Pepper
- 1 pound Farmer cheese
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 3 tb sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup Strawberry or grape or prune jam (lekach)
- 2 tablespoons Bread crumbs
Instructions
Heat oil in a pan, add onions, and saute over moderate heat until onions turn golden. Add water, salt, sugar, and squash or calabasa or pumpkin and bring to a boil. Cover pan and cook over low heat for about 20 mins as squash/calabasa/pumpkin becomes soft and disintegrates. Stir now and then, which in effect mashes contents. Continue last mins of cooking, uncovered, to evaporate all liquid and create and thick jam. The mash is still moist. MEAT: Heat oil in a skillet and brown onions lightly over moderate heat. Add meat, salt, and pepper and stir-fry for 5 mins, making certain liquid has evaporated and mixture is dry. Cool. CHEESE: Mix everything together. Set aside. JAM: Mix jam and crumbs together. Set aside. Mix 1/2 c warm water, sugar, and yeast together and proof in a warm place until mixture foams, abt 10 mins. Make a well in flour, add yeast mixture, oil, and 1 egg white, and stir them into flour. Add balance of water, or enough water to prepare a soft dough. Knead for several mins and roll into a ball. Oil top lightly and leave dough in mixing bowl. Cover bowl w/foil or a towel and let rise for 45 mins to 1 hour. Punch down dough ball. Pull off abt 1/2 cup of dough and roll into a slightly flattened ball. Prepare 6 balls. On well-floured board roll out each ball, 1 at a time, to 12-" pancake. Using empty can or a cookie cutter, 3-" in diameter, cut out circles in pancake. Put 1 tb of whichever stuffing you are using, or variety of stuffings, in center of each circle. Fold over right and left side of circle to meet in the center and bring up bottom to cover stuffing. Pinch ends together to form tricorner pastry. Seal in contents. Paint tops of bichak w/egg yolk. Line baking pan or cookie sheet w/lightly oiled aluminum foil. Place tricorners on foil and bake in a preheated 350F. oven for about 40 mins, or until brown. Serve warm. Makes 48 to 50 bichak. NOTE: Cool bichak, store in plastic bags, and freeze. To serve, thaw out frozen bichak for 1/2 hour and heat in preheated 350F. Oven for 5-10 mins.
