• PART THREE •
BREADS, PASTRIES & PASTA
Holiday Bread with Mastic (Sakızlı Ekmek)
Water-Cooked Soft Inside, Crispy Outside Börek (Su Böregi)
Spinach Börek (Ispanakli Kol Böregi)
Puffed Cheese Börek (Puf Börek)
Tartar Pastry with or without Meat (Tatar Böregi)
Amulet-Shaped Pastırma Pies (Pastırmalı Muska Börek)
Lentil and Zucchini Amulets (Muska Börek, Mercimekli-Kabaklı)
Turkish tables are never complete without a basket of bread. But the bread inside the basket could be a different variety, depending on the region. The most-served ones are the loaf and the pide, a kind of flatbread. Pide owes its unique flavor not only to the rigor of the bakers, but also to the quality of the flour and the unique structure of pide ovens, the traditional wood-fired ovens in which the flatbread is baked. The bottom part of the pide oven is multilayered. The lowest level is made of cullet. Iron chips, excellent for retaining heat, are the next layer. Fine sand and salt constitute the third layer. The karataş or baker’s stone is placed on top. These four- to six-inch-thick stones are scratched to create fine gouges, which act like the nails in a fakir’s bed to evenly disperse heat over the whole surface of the stone and thus create appetizingly golden and crisp pides. The layered surface of the oven is covered all around with the same stone, a dome is made from firebrick, and the firebrick is covered with red soil. Lastly, the dome is covered with concrete. To prevent cracking, the oven is not used for a whole day after it’s first built. Almost all good kebab restaurants own a pide fırın (oven). Types of bread baked in pide ovens today include:
Kuppan: Puffy kebab bread. A blend of water, yogurt, and flour can be spread on top; however, the version flavored with egg and black cumin or sesame is currently in demand.
Lavash: This is also called “open bread.” It is a flatbread used to wrap items like shish kebab, cheese, and so on and is baked by sprinkling only flour on top.
Tırnaklı: This is pide with indentations made with the fingertips. As with kuppan, a mix of water, yogurt, and flour is spread on the dough before baking. It is given an oval shape first, then using the pressure of the fingertips the indentations are made before the dough is put into the pide oven.
Holiday Bread with Mastic (Sakızlı Ekmek)
THE UNIQUE aroma of this bread has never left my memory. The huge prepared bread dough was formed into numerous loaves, round in shape and as big as palm leaves, then taken to the town’s bakery on huge sinis (trays) covered lightly with a cloth. My aunt Saadet would make this under the direction of my grandmother with the assistance of the family’s helpers a day or two before the Ramadan holiday. It was a ritual and never missed. There would be at least twenty or so round loaves. When they were brought back from the bakery, they would be covered with a blanket used only for this purpose. The day it was made, we would not eat this bread but instead wait for the first day of the holiday, when the elders would take their first breakfast after thirty days of fasting. Some of these loaves would have hard-boiled eggs stuck right in the middle of them to make the children of the family happy. At breakfast, loaves would be sliced and toasted on tongs or whatever was handy in the huge hearth of the living room, a place where extra guests sometimes slept. Fresh homemade butter would be spread on the warm slices, which in no time melted and created an unforgettable mixture of tastes and aromas.
Makes 3 loaves; serves 8 to 10
3 lentil-size pieces mastic (see this page)
1 (2-inch/5-cm) cassia stick (see this page), or 2 teaspoons freshly ground cloves
1½ tablespoons active dry yeast
3 cups (720 ml) nearly hot water
2¼ pounds (1 kg) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
With a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder, finely grind together the mastic and cassia stick or cloves with the salt. Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup (240 ml) of the nearly hot water. Add the sugar and wait until it mixes in and the yeast foams. Put the flour in a large bowl, stir in the mastic mixture, and make a well in the center. Pour the yeasted water into the well, pull in some of the flour to combine, and then slowly add the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) of nearly hot water, gradually incorporating the rest of the flour, and then kneading to make a moderately stiff dough; roll the dough into a ball. (Alternatively, you can use the kneading program on a bread-making machine to mix the dough.) Lightly brush the top of the dough with some of the oil and cover with a clean cloth. Let sit in a warm place to rise until it doubles in the size, 2 to 3 hours depending on the temperature of the surroundings.
Knead the dough again and divide into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, put them on a large baking sheet, and press to flatten slightly. Brush the top of each with the remaining oil and let sit, covered with a cloth, until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and put a bowl of water in the oven so the bread does not dry out while baking. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the tops of the loaves and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are brown. (If toasted the next day, the loaves taste and smell even better.)
PIDE WITH MEAT OR WITH HERBS AND GREENS (THIS PAGE).
ALTHOUGH PIDE is traditionally baked in special wood-fired ovens (see this page), this recipe, which I developed with young pide master Nurullah Acar, came out almost as delicious from the kitchen oven as the pide sold in shops. This recipe will make six big flatbreads, each about twelve inches long and filled with an aromatic veal and tomato stuffing, but you can make smaller pide to serve as meze, if you prefer.
Makes 6 large, stuffed flatbreads
½ ounce (14 g) fresh, wet yeast
4 to 5 cups (520 to 650 g) all-purpose flour, plus ½ table-spoon for shaping the dough
1 pound (455 g) lean ground veal and lamb, minced together
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, chopped, and drained in a colander (2 cups/330 g)
4 long thin green peppers, minced (if 1 or 2 are hot, the stuffing will be tastier)
2 cups (40 g) fresh parsley, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
Make the dough: Add the yeast and sugar to ½ cup (120 ml) of the warm water, stir, wait until it foams, then pour into a bowl. Stir in the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) warm water, then add the flour gradually, mixing to combine, and then the salt. (As the amount of flour absorbed by the water depends on the quality of the flour, add the last cup of flour very slowly and only as much as needed.) Mix until the dough is uniform and softer than an earlobe. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let sit at room temperature on a work surface (avoid marble, as this cool surface is not good for working with yeast doughs).
Make the stuffing: Sauté the onions in the butter in a large frying pan until translucent. Add two-thirds of the meat and fry in the butter, without letting it get too dry. Let cool. Add the remaining one-third meat, along with the tomatoes, peppers, parsley, salt to taste, and the black pepper, and stir with a spoon. (The reason for adding some uncooked meat is to affix the meat on the pide.)
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Break off Ping Pong ball–size pieces of dough. Stretch each one to a diameter of 6 inches (15 cm), using your fingers and primarily pressing on the piece’s outer edge to stretch it. (Thinning the outer edge prevents breaking from the center of the dough.) To stretch the middle, squeeze the center of the dough gently with one hand and pull 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) from the other side to make an oval. (By transferring the stretched dough from one hand to the other, you can stretch it in a very short time.) When the dough is 
inch (2 mm) thick, spread some stuffing in the middle, leaving a ¾-inch (2-cm) space around the edges. Fold over the edges to create a rim all around the pide, leaving the stuffing completely uncovered. Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing. Place the pide on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until there are brown spots on the flatbread. Brush the tops of the dough with butter or oil as soon as the pide are out of the oven and serve.
PIDE MADE with a stuffing of herbs, spinach, and chard is known as Pastry with Herbs. It is light, delicious, and flavored with dry cottage cheese.
1½ pounds (680 g) Swiss chard, spinach, stinging nettle (if seasonal), pigweed, mallow, or other edible greens, or a combination
3 green onions, minced (1 cup/120 g)
½ teaspoon mild red pepper flakes
1 packed cup (20 g) minced fresh parsley
Black olives, for garnishing (optional)
1 recipe pide dough (see this page)
Mix together all the stuffing ingredients.
Shape the pide dough, long and thin, as described in the recipe on this page but make the breads wider, about 5 inches (12 cm) in width. Top half of the rolled-out dough lengthwise with the filling, then fold the other half of the dough over the filling and lightly seal with your fingertips. (This helps ensure that the greens will cook well.) Garnish with black olives, if desired. Bake as described on this page, for 15 to 17 minutes or until the top gets brown spots. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil as soon as it is out of the oven. Let sit, covered, at least 30 minutes, before serving.
Wheat: The Roots of Anatolian Cuisine
Wheat was cultivated in Anatolia by the Hittites, who lived in Central Anatolia, as early as 2000 B.C.E. They were neighbors of Mesopotamia, also known as the Fertile Crescent, which possessed ideal conditions for the cultivation of wheat and was one of the first areas where wheat was grown. As the peoples of these areas developed agriculture, the consumption of wheat increased and helped determine the course of their cuisine. Many of the wheat products consumed by the Hittites and other ancient civilizations remain staples of this area’s cooking.
The simply structured einkorn wheat (Triticum boeoticum), the ancestor of all types of wheat, was first cultivated eleven thousand years ago at the foot of the Karacadag Mountains in Middle Anatolia in the upper part of the Fertile Crescent. When einkorn wheat was bred with wild grass (Triticum speltoides) two hybrids of wheat were obtained: emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) and durum (Triticum durum). The flour-rich kernel of emmer, grown in humid areas, is ideal for bread or pastry. The dough from this wheat is supple, making it easier to roll thin for yufka (similar to phyllo). Durum is perfectly suited to central Anatolia’s hot and dry climate. Bulgur, a staple of this region’s cuisine, is produced from durum wheat’s hard and glassy kernel.
Turks arriving from Central Asia not only preserved Anatolia’s natural diet, they created a unique cuisine by blending their culinary know-how with the benefits of the fertile land. The pliant bread dough made from emmer wheat led to different types of yufka, the Turks’ staple. And hard wheat (also called yellow wheat because of its yellow strings) was the basis of many kinds of bulgur pilafs. The Turks also enriched Anatolian cuisine with numerous types of pastries, pastas, and dumplings.
Water-Cooked Soft Inside, Crispy Outside Börek (Su Böreği)
THIS IS one of Turkish cuisine’s most labor-intensive recipes. It is, however, also one of its most esteemed dishes. Thin sheets of homemade yufka, like homemade pasta but perhaps a little thinner, are first cooked in a pot of salted hot water then placed on a tray, alternately drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with feta cheese between most of the layers, and then toasted over low heat until golden brown. Once you acquire the knack, it is not that difficult to prepare. For beginners, the main difficulty is removing the yufka from the boiling water without damaging them. Have no fear: The yufka may tear, but they are rather easy to patch—and the patch lines are not visible after the börek is cooked.
2¼ pounds (1 kg) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed
7 to 8 tablespoons (100 to 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
⅓ cup (40 g) wheat starch for sprinkling
10½ ounces (300 g) feta cheese, flaked with a fork
1 packed cup (20 g) minced fresh parsley
Make the dough: Put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle, add the eggs, 2 cups (480 ml) water, and the salt and mix to combine. Knead thoroughly until the dough is the texture of an earlobe. Divide the dough equally into 8 balls. Flatten each ball a little, cover with a clean damp cloth, and let sit for 30 minutes. Bring a wide pot to a rolling boil with several pinches of salt in it.
Lightly grease a metal circular tray or sauté pan with butter, then roll out one piece of dough to form a round that’s about 4 inches (10 cm) wider than the pan’s diameter—the dough should be thin: to ⅛ inch (2 to 3 mm) at most. Every so often, sprinkle it with wheat starch to prevent it from sticking. Carefully place the first sheet of dough on the greased circular tray (it’s okay if the sheet hangs over the edges of the tray). Brush generously with some of the melted butter. Roll out the second piece of dough the same way, but drop this second one in the pot of boiling water. As soon as the dough softens, in 2 to 3 minutes, transfer to an upside-down colander. Rinse with cold water, dry as well as possible with a cloth, and place the boiled yufka on top of the buttered yufka on the tray. Butter the boiled yufka. Prepare the next two pieces of dough in the same way, buttering and stacking them on top of the others.
Make the filling: Mix the cheese and parsley together to make the filling and spread on the fourth piece of dough.
Boil and butter the next three pieces of dough as described above and add them to the tray. Those that are boiled will get larger due to cooking; to fit them in the tray they will need to be wrinkled a bit.
Put the last sheet of dough on the top without boiling it. Fold the hanging edges of the sheet on the bottom over the top sheet to cover and put the tray on the stovetop over low heat. (Choose a large burner, or put the tray on two burners that are close to each other; the heat will spread more evenly that way.) Brush half of the remaining butter at intervals around the edges of the pastry and keep turning the tray in order to brown the börek evenly. (Using a spatula, occasionally lift the edges of the pastry to check the bottom.) When the bottom has browned thoroughly, invert the pastry onto another pan of the same size. Pour the remaining melted butter around the edges and brown the other side of the pastry in the same manner. When both the top and bottom are browned, let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into 2-inch (5-cm) squares and serve immediately. (They may be reheated in a pan over a burner the next day.)
Spinach Börek (Ispanaklı Kol Böreği)
AS THIS very tasty spinach-filled pastry is prepared with convenient ready-made yufka sheets, it is one of the pastries most frequently made at home. Still, every family has its own favorite recipe. This one, made with a softer pastry, is the one my family likes best.
4 sheets ready-made yufka or phyllo
2 pounds (910 g) spinach, washed and dried well, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 packed cup (20 g) minced fresh parsley (optional)
½ packed cup (10 g) minced fresh dill
3 to 4 green onions, finely chopped
1 large or medium onion, diced
1½ ounces (50 g) feta cheese, together with 3½ ounces (100 g) ricotta cheese, well mixed
⅓ cup (75 ml) olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for brushing
½ cup (120 ml) plain Greek yogurt
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly oil a baking sheet. Cut the sheets of yufka or phyllo in half down the middle and stack them one on top of the other.
Make the filling: Place the spinach in a bowl and add the parsley (if using), dill, green onions, regular onion, cheese mix, and oil and mix thoroughly.
Make the spread: Beat together the egg, oil, and yogurt and then beat in the milk gradually to create a thick mixture (you may not use all the milk).
Place one piece of dough in front of you, with the long cut edge nearest to you. Lightly brush on the yogurt spread to cover the yufka, and then place a row of the spinach filling along the long cut edge. Roll up the dough away from you, enclosing the filling inside. Transfer the roll to the prepared baking sheet, carefully bending the roll if it is too long to fit on the tray. Repeat with the remaining sheets of dough, yogurt spread, and spinach filling. When all eight pastry rolls are on the baking sheet, brush them with 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Let cool a little, and then cut into 3-inch (7.5-cm) pieces. Arrange the pieces of börek on a serving platter at different angles so they do not crush each other.
I TRIED this recipe from whirling dervish Sheikh Ali EŞref Dede’s nineteenth-century cooking booklet because it was comprehensible and easy, and I’m glad I did so because it’s excellent. (Modesty is highly valued in Turkish culture, but it is also said, “Don’t be too modest; they might believe you.”) This pastry’s flavor takes us back to the Ottoman era, but everyone who tried my rendition agreed that it has a contemporary taste as well.
4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 sheets ready-made yufka or phyllo
4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil whisked with 2 to 3 tablespoons water to emulsify
All-purpose flour, for sprinkling
4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter
10½ ounces (300 g) ground beef
2½ teaspoons freshly ground coriander
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (20 g) minced fresh parsley
Make the filling: Put the onions in a large pan or pot with the oil, butter, and ½ cup (120 ml) water and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the eggs; stir and cook until the eggs are half cooked but still partially runny. Season with salt to taste, add the cinnamon, coriander, and pepper, mix well, and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Cut the yufka or phyllo sheets in half down the middle and spread in a semicircle on a work surface. Place one piece in front of you with the long cut edge nearest to you, dot with the oil-water emulsion, and sprinkle lightly with flour. Arrange the other half so they are superimposed. Place 4 to 5 tablespoons (about 250 g) of the onion mixture along the long cut edge of the second sheet of dough. Place the onion mixture all along this cut edge and roll up halfway, enclosing the stuffing inside. Dot the rest with the oil-water emulsion, lightly sprinkle with flour, and finish rolling. The edge will seal because of the emulsion. Transfer the roll to a greased baking sheet, carefully bending the roll if it is too long to fit on the tray. Brush the top with the leftover emulsion. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 15 minutes longer. Let cool a little, then slice and serve.
Make the filling: Fry the onions in the butter and oil with a sprinkle of water and the salt, add the ground beef, and sauté until the beef is cooked through. Remove from the heat. Add the coriander, pepper, and parsley and mix well. Let the filling cool, then roll and bake.
Puffed Cheese Börek (Puf Börek)
EVERYONE WILL be happy to eat these puffy pastries, which boast golden brown, lacelike homemade yufka. Whether you serve them for breakfast or as meze with a drink, your guests will gobble them up reflexively, as if in a dream state. In the past, these pastries were fried and served as soon as they were prepared. However, I realized they can be assembled and kept in the freezer for a few days, and I usually take advantage of that fact.
1 pound (455 g) all-purpose flour, plus more flour and some cornstarch for sprinkling
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 packed cup (20 g) minced fresh parsley
Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and egg yolks, then stir in the yogurt and oil. Add the lemon juice, milk, and ½ cup (120 ml) water, mixing until a slightly stiff dough forms. Divide the dough equally into 10 balls. Flatten them out to 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter, each time brushing some butter on each piece of flattened dough, and stack them on top of one another. Roll out the first 5 balls, one by one, to dessert-plate size; the dough should be just 1/10 inch (3 mm) thick. (Let the second stack wait until you are finished with the first one; otherwise the rolled out dough will dry and become unworkable.) Sprinkle the dough with some flour mixed with cornstarch each time you roll it out so the dough doesn’t stick to the rolling pin.
Make the filling: Crumble the cheese finely and stir in the parsley. Place 1-tablespoon dollops of filling around half of the circumference of each round of dough, at 4- to 5-inch (10- to 12-cm) intervals, about 2 inches (5 cm) from the edge of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough over to cover the filling, and then, using a cookie cutter, cut the filled dough into half-moon shapes. (The yufka pieces left over after cutting the half moons may be saved and used again when there is enough to form another ball after softening it by kneading it with buttered hands.) Repeat this process until no yufka dough remains that can be cut to form a half-moon-shaped börek. Place the börek on a cloth-covered tray, and cover them with another cloth. Prepare the remaining 5 balls of yufka the same way. Fry the börek immediately or refrigerate on a covered plate for 1 to 2 hours, or freeze on a platter wrapped in foil for 2 to 3 days.
When you’re ready to fry the börek, heat ¾ inch (2 cm) oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Working in small batches, as this fries very quickly, slide in the börek. Shake the pan frequently as the oil heats up and spoon some of the hot oil on the pastries. (This will make the pastries even puffier.) Fry the pastries for about 1 minute per side (monitor the heat level so that the hot oil does not burn the pastries) and serve. Draining is not necessary because they will not absorb oil.
Tartar Pastry with or without Meat (Tatar Böreği)
THIS SAVORY pastry is an everyday dish that can be made whenever mantı (this page) or erişte (this page) would be served. It can be dried and kept for a week or even more in a covered glass jar. It is a handy product to have on hand, and can be served with this garlicky butter and yogurt topping, with or without the ground beef, whenever you need a quick meal. If preparing the dough seems too involved, you can substitute ready-made pasta; fresh pappardelle or any kind of flat pasta with some texture would be a good choice. In this case, cook the pasta according to the package directions, then follow the rest of the instructions in the recipe.
10½ ounces (500 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
10½ ounces (300 g) ground beef (optional)
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups (360 ml) plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed with a mortar and pestle
7 or 8 fresh mint leaves, torn lengthwise by hand
Make the dough: Put the flour and salt in a bowl, make an indentation in the middle of the flour, add 1 cup (240 ml) water, and mix well. Knead for at least 5 minutes, adding more water if needed. (The dough becomes stiffer as you knead because of the gluten.) Roll into a ball and let sit for 10 minutes to relax (this is a must!). Dust a tabletop or cutting board with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until just to ⅛ inch (2 to 3 mm) thick with a diameter of about 22 inches (55 cm). Cut the dough into strips ¾ inch (2 cm) wide, then cut the strips crosswise on a diagonal to get triangles. (For beginners, or if a surface of that size is not available, make two dough balls and roll each one separately, making sure you get the same thickness.)
Make the topping: Sauté the meat, if using, in a frying pan with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter until cooked through. Beat the yogurt and garlic together to make a sauce (it should not be too runny) and season with salt to taste. Bring a large pot of water to a full boil, add the dough triangles, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Drain and transfer to another pot. Melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small pot, toss with the dough, and cook over very low heat, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the yogurt sauce onto a serving platter, place the dough pieces on top, spread the meat, if using, over the dough, garnish with the mint, season with pepper, and serve.
Amulet-Shaped Pastırma Pies (Pastırmalı Muska Börek)
THIS IS another favorite pastry that’s stuffed with tomato, string cheese, and pastırma, an air-dried beef in a spicy casing. It can be replaced with any spicy salami, if pastırma is not available—I could not leave this recipe out, as it is a ubiquitous dish that everyone loves.
1 sheet ready-made yufka or phyllo
3½ ounces (100 g) pastırma, thinly sliced then chopped
½ packed cup (10 g) minced fresh parsley
½ cup (20 g) chopped string cheese
1 medium tomato, peeled, diced, and drained in a colander
Vegetable or corn oil for frying
Fill a shallow container with water; you’ll use this to seal the ends of the dough strips. Cut the sheet of yufka or phyllo into strips 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Cut the longest strips in half (each strip should be about 8 inches/20 cm long).
Prepare the filling by mixing together the pastırma, parsley, cheese, and tomato. Place 1 tablespoon of filling at one end of a strip. Fold one corner of the dough over the filling to form a triangle that encloses it. Continue folding the triangle, like a flag, taking care that the stuffing stays enclosed in the dough. Seal the loose end of the strip with a dab of the water. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough and the filling (you should have about 12 amulets). Fry in plenty of oil until golden, about 1 minute on each side. Serve hot.
MARMARINA DOUBTLESS came to Turkish cuisine from the country’s Greek community; its name is one clue, and its similarity to the round cheese pies Greeks make is another. I like it because it’s easy to make. Zucchini paired with feta takes the place of the spinach typically used in the filling.
4 to 5 zucchini (about 2 pounds/910 g)
1 packed cup (20 g) minced fresh parsley
1 packed cup (20 g) minced fresh dill
2½ ounces (70 g) feta cheese, grated or finely crumbled
5 to 6 tablespoons (75 to 90 ml) olive oil
2 sheets yufka (see this page)
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil whisked with 2 tablespoons water to emulsify
All-purpose flour, for sprinkling
Make the filling: Coarsely grate the zucchini into a bowl and toss with the salt. Let sit for 15 minutes, then squeeze the zucchini to remove excess moisture (use cheesecloth if necessary). Beat the eggs. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, parsley, dill, and cheese with the oil and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch (33-by-23-cm) baking dish.
Add the filling to the prepared dish and spread in an even layer. Lay one sheet of yufka on top of the filling, creasing it to fit over the filling. Thoroughly brush the yufka, including the creases, with the olive oil–water emulsion and sprinkle it very lightly with flour. Add the second sheet of yufka, creasing it in the same way and brushing with the rest of the oil emulsion. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is browned. Cut into squares, transfer to a platter, and serve.
Lentil and Zucchini Amulets (Muska Börek, Mercimekli-Kabaklı)
FOR THEIR nutritional value and flavor, lentils deserve to be used more often in Turkish cuisine. Happily, using lentils as a filling has become popular recently. This lentil-based filling is inspired by a börek I had at a restaurant, but the zucchini is my addition. This makes a tasty meze or a luncheon dish, especially for those who do not eat meat. The name muska (“amulet”) comes from its shape. It was an ancient shaman ritual to wrap rice and nigella seeds in a black cloth and sew it in the shape of an amulet. This was given to children or anyone in need of good luck, a tradition that continues today.
2 zucchini (about 7 inches/17 cm long), grated, salted, and squeezed dry after 30 minutes
1 cup (190 g) lentils, soaked for 2 hours in lukewarm water and cooked until al dente
1 tablespoon dried tarragon, crushed between your palms
3 sheets ready-made yufka or phyllo
¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable or corn oil whisked with 2 to 3 tablespoons water to emulsify
All-purpose flour for sprinkling
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions with the salt until translucent. Add the grated and squeezed zucchini and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in the lentils, tarragon, and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cut the yufka or phyllo into strips 2 inches (5 cm) wide, then cut the longest strips in half. Place 1 tablespoon of the stuffing at one end of a strip. Fold one corner of the dough over the filling to form a triangle that encloses it. Dot the rest of the strip with the oil-water emulsion and sprinkle lightly with flour, then continue folding the triangle, like a flag, taking care that the stuffing stays enclosed in the dough. Seal the loose end of the strip with a dab of the oil mixture or dip the end in water. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough and filling. Place the amulets on a baking sheet, brush with the oil mixture, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are brown. Arrange on a platter and serve.
