Börek, Two Ways

The first thing Mel ever cooked for me was a beef börek, and I instantly fell for it—the flavor and texture were seductive, a little mysterious, but not totally unfamiliar. It was like eating something from a past life. Böreks are often described as savory pies, but I think that’s slightly misleading because integral to the preparation and the amazing taste is the layering of the filling (whether meat or vegetable), the egg glaze, and the yufka dough. Yufka dough is similar to lavash, or a little like a flour tortilla with some flakiness on the surface; in Turkey, you buy it in the market in big sheets, but it’s also sold in packages in specialty stores, Middle Eastern markets, or online, and I recommend you seek it out for these recipes. (The same is true for the black cumin seeds.) Traditionally, the dough is brushed liberally with a mixture of eggs, oil, and milk, but a trick I learned from one of Mel’s aunts is to substitute yogurt for the milk, and I gotta tell you, I’m never going back. The glaze transforms into a yogurt-y custard when cooked, infusing the filling with tanginess, and coating all of the nooks and crannies of the yufka. Trust me—pie has nothing on this.