Chag Sameach and Happy Shavuot to you all!

Time flies really fast. On the fiftieth day after Passover, Jews celebrate a holiday called Shavuot.

Shavuot has a double significance. It marks the all-important wheat harvest in the Land of Israel and it commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the entire nation of Israel assembled at Mount Sinai.

For some reason, it’s customary to eat dairy dishes for Shavuot. One of the many explanations is that milk is considered to be a symbol of Torah, which nourish the people directly, as milk does for babies.

The most popular dish is Blintzes – thin crepes filled with cottage cheese, but some folks love to eat cheese cake.

My contribution to Shavuot is a pie made with a combination of cottage cheese, French feta cheese and green herbs. It’s not sweet, rather salty, but very delicious especially when it’s freshly made and still hot.

If you don’t have the time or the patience to make Puff Pastry dough, you can use filo dough that you can find in every supermarket. But if you are ready to invest some time into making your own puff pastry dough, follow these instructions:

You need 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose or Pastry Flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, two sticks of unsalted butter and 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water.

Whisk together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes. Using your hands, work it into the flour until it is well-distributed, but not fully incorporated. Using your fingers, spray the ice water until the dough starts to come together. If the dough holds together, without crumbling, it’s ready. If it has dry spots, or pieces break off easily, add a bit more water. Gather the dough into a ball, and divide it into halves. Then chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Place one layer of rolled dough into a round buttered baking pan, add one layer of French feta cheese, one layer of chopped herbs (spinach, parsley, kale, basil), one layer of unsalted cottage cheese (previously mixed with one egg), sprinkle some freshly ground pepper on top and cover with another layer of dough. Fix the edges, cut the cross the middle, wash with a whisked egg for shiny look and sprinkle with pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Bake in at 420 degrees about 40 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot. Eat with the family.

Review the Ten Commandments and read Book of Ruth that emphasizes the one woman choice to accept Torah.

Boaz and Ruth in the fields by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (the beginning of XIX century)

P.S. All the food featured in this post has been prepared and photographed by me.