In the East Mediterranean there are many varieties of spinach and cheese pastries.
Boyos de pazi y keso, are the traditional hand pies the Sephardim made for centuries in the Dodecanese Island of Rhodes. The Sephardic Jews who settled in the Ottoman Empire inspired by their “empanada” pies from medieval Spain adapted the recipe to other versions. One of the most loved savory pastries of the Rhodeslis are the flaky filo-like “boyos” made with a light yeast dough. Our family recipe combines the earthy Swiss chard or spinach with the salty, crumbly Greek feta, tangy Kefalotiri, generous handfuls of zesty fresh herbs and spring onions encased in a paper thin, crisp homemade pastry. “Boyos” make a scrumptious snack, or appetizer, delicious for breakfast or as a vegetarian meal with a salad.
You can save yourself the effort and use store-bought filo pastry and fold the filling into triangles for an easy and quick alternative to making the pastry. But, I assure you that once you have mastered this ancient art of pie-making you will be truly won over and will want to make these pastries packed with flavour again! See recipe “ Stella’s Sephardic Table” p 188