miniChef

Banitsa with mushrooms and eggplant

Easy and delicious banitsa with mushrooms and eggplant, made with puff pastry.

🌐 gotvach.com
🌍 Bulgarian

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry

1 onion

200 g mushrooms

1-2 eggplants

1 bunch parsley

2 eggs

egg yolk

50 g butter

sesame

black pepper

salt

Method

Cut the eggplant into cubes about 1 cm in size. Salt them and leave them in a colander for about 20 minutes to drain the bitter juice. Then pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Finely chop the onion. Slice the mushrooms into slices or cubes, according to your preference.
In a non-stick pan, melt 50 g of butter over medium heat. When the butter stops sizzling, add the finely chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the onion. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms soften and release their water. If the pan looks dry, add a little more butter.
Add the eggplant cubes to the mushrooms and onion. Sauté for another 5-6 minutes, stirring, until the eggplant softens and turns golden.
Season the mixture with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Add about 50 ml of water to prevent burning and simmer under a lid for another 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Add the finely chopped parsley and the beaten egg. Stir well.
Thaw the puff pastry according to the package instructions. Roll it out slightly if necessary, and cut it into squares of approximately 8x8 cm.
Brush the edges of half of the squares with a little water. This will help the pastries stick together better.
Place one tablespoon of the filling on top of each square with brushed edges. Be careful not to overfill, so the filling doesn't leak during baking.
Cover the filling with another pastry square and press the edges firmly to seal. You can use a fork to make decorative edges.
Arrange the finished pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave a little space between them.
Beat the yolk with 1 tablespoon of water and brush each pastry with the mixture. This will give them a golden and glossy color.
Sprinkle the pastries with sesame seeds.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the pastries for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Remove the pastries from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.