When my brother and I were children we spent most weekdays with my grandmother while our parents were off earning a living. This was always an adventure because at 4 feet 11 inches tall Nana was (and is) a force to be reckoned with. You never knew what a day with her would bring: We played practical jokes on my mother (which I imagine was payback for something Mom did as a kid) and studied sign-language with a local deaf community. We ran through the sprinklers at Balboa Park and munched on fresh corn tortillas at the beach. We even went on imaginary archaeological digs in Nana’s backyard, where the three of us would uncover chicken bones beneath the site of a decades-old coop. Moments like this were absolute bliss for my then five-year-old brother because he’d convinced himself that all those bones were actually dinosaur remains. “This is a baby Tyran-ay-sore-US,” he’d proclaim with authority. Indeed, he was so certain of his discoveries that one afternoon we found him flipping through the Yellow Pages looking for a number for the Smithsonian. Never mind that he couldn’t read or that the phone book was nearly as big as him, he had a real find on his hands and was determined to notify the authorities. It took some convincing, but eventually Nana saved some museum clerk a lot of trouble by showing my brother how much better it would be if he sat on this for a while. “Mijo, I think you should wait and see what other bones you uncover,” she advised, “Just imagine the collection you’ll have when you’re six! Why, you may even have an entire dinosaur.” This made good business sense to my brother.
Archeology aside, one of our favorite things to do with Nana was go to the theater. It didn’t matter what movie we saw or where we saw it, rather, we were interested in the contents of Nana’s purse. Like many people (including myself), Nana didn’t believe in the extravagant prices concession stands charge for movie-time treats. However, unlike most people Nana’s idea of good movie snacks included empanadas, tortas and chili bean burritos… not to mention a few cans of soda, chips and dried fruit for good measure. She made everything at home before carefully wrapping each item in tin foil and hiding it at the bottom of her bag. Once the food was properly stored she layered other items on top - a sweatshirt, her book - just in case the ticket clerk at the theater got nosy. All this was very exciting for us kids, as we walked through the theater and took our seats while keeping our anticipation carefully masked behind blank expressions. And then, when the lights went out, you’d hear it… the slow tink-tink of Nana unwrapping a torta for each of us, then the pop of the soda cans. Heads always turned, and once I remember a man saying to his wife “Do you smell fried chicken?”, but we were never caught. When it came to hiding an extraordinary number of items in a simple handbag Nana definitely had Mary Poppins beat.
It’s been some fifteen years since my Nana, brother and I did something like this, but I think this is one memory I would like to bring back to life the next time I visit San Diego. Even now the thought of doing so brings a huge grin to my face, I can just imagine what fun it would be!
Aside from all of us being older (and maybe a little wiser) this time I’d also be able to help Nana prepare our secret stash, which would include some of the old favorites - empanadas, tortas - and perhaps a new thing or two from my own collection of recipes. I think Talaş Böreği would be a good choice, and in fact, it was when I was making a batch of these Turkish meat pies last week that I began thinking about all those afternoons spent with Nana so long ago. With their flaky crust, the aromatic combination of cinnamon and all spice, melted feta, and the subtle sweetness of pine nuts and currants, I’m sure Nana would love them. Indeed, I’d be willing to wager that, if Nana had known about Talaş Böreği way back when, she would have found room for them in her purse. 
The recipe below has been slightly adapted from Arabesque, by Claudia Roden. I traded ground meat ’soy meat’ and added feta cheese. The feta gave the dish extra flavor and compensated for the absence of natural fat in soy ‘meat’, some of which is necessary to prevent the filling from becoming too dry. These pies are easy to make ahead of time - you can either assemble and store them in the fridge before baking, or bake them and then reheat the pies in the oven for 10 minutes at 300 degrees F. Don’t use a microwave - trust me. And on a final note, each time I’ve made this recipe I’ve found that at least two burritos worth of filling was left over after assembling the pies. But this isn’t a problem and from my description you know what I did with the extra filling! Nana would approve.
A very old photograph of me with my family. From left: My cousin Monika, me at about 15 years old, Nana, my brother and my cousin Joshua. Can I get a what-what for family photos?
// Edit: For anyone who is curious, there is a more recent photo of me in the About section
Talaş Böreği (Puff Pastry ‘Meat’ Pies with Currants and Pine Nuts)
Adapted from Arabesque, by Claudia Roden.
Ingredients:
- 1 large vidalia onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 pound ground vegetarian ‘meat’ (real ground meat is used in the original recipe)
- About 4 oz of good quality feta cheese
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons currants (or small black raisins)
- 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (fresh, not dry)
- 14 ounces puff pastry
- 1 egg, separated
Remove a puff pastry sheet from the freezer and set aside to thaw.
Make the filling. Over medium heat fry the onion in the sunflower oil until soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Add the vegetarian meat, the seasoning, and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes until heated through. (If you are using real ground meat, crush it with a fork after adding it to the pan with the spices, and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the juices have been absorbed.) Stir in the pine nuts, currants or raisins, and chopped parsley, then let the mixture cool.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 pieces of equal size. Roll each piece out into a rectangle large enough to make an eventual flat parcel of about 7 inches x 4 inches. (In other words, your rectangle should be about 14 inches long and 8 inches wide, though you can make it smaller if you want to make smaller pies.) Roll out the pastry on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, turning the sheets often and dusting them each time with flour. (Be careful not to press down too hard, be gentle, otherwise you’ll risk crushing the layers of pastry dough together.)
When you’ve rolled each piece of dough into your desired shape, crumble about 4 oz of feta and mix it into the meat filling. Place a generous amount of filling onto one half of each rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around the edges. (The original recipe instructions said to use a quarter of the meat filling per pie, but I found that this amount caused the dough to stretch too much when you folded the other half of the rectangle over. So use whatever amount looks best to you and save leftover filling for burritos!) Brush the edges of the dough with egg white to make them stick together better. Fold the pasty over to cover the filling. Gently press the tines of a fork along the edges to seal and create a pretty pattern, then trim any superfluous pastry around the pie with a knife. Place the pies, turned over with the smooth side up, on an oiled baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg yolk mixed with a drop of water.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed up and golden.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 by Ariela and is filed under Cultural, Main Dishes, Meat Dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
59 Responses for "If Nana had known about Talaş Böreği…"
your brother seems very smart. is he digging up dinosaurs for a living now?
Good to see you there although you were a teenager then:)) Nana looks great too!
Puff pastry with meat filling and Feta!!YUM!!
Claudia Roden really is THE expert on Middle Eastern cookery and this recipe looks absolutely wonderful! Great pictures too!
the family picture is fantastic Arie!!
and the Talaş Böreği look scrumptious … I may choose the small black raisins option …. what would you suggest as a dessert ?
Lovely memory of your grandmother — I too remember rummaging in Grandma’s purse for all sorts of chewy goodies, and also digging in their backyard in Brooklyn, beneath the huge pear tree. I love this recipe, too!
I have some parsley with me now…and i am thinking of using ground meat too…mostly will try this one soon…will let you know
Very nice story.
I personally would put ground lamb, but it looks good and satisfying.
Oh the pleasure of having the treasure of food that’s been snucked into the theater. There is nothing quite like it. Let me share a secret (well I guess it’s no longer a secret since I’m writing it here on the WWW *laugh*) I sneak food into the theater all the time. My next trip - tomorrow: Pirates of the Caribbean 3. (lol)
Now, if only I had a magic wand and could bring the food on my computer screen to life, I would not have to actually prepare stuff to take into the cinema tomorrow. Oh well.
Ari from the looks of that top photo, the soy and feta was just perfect - it looks lush and wonderful.
I think your Nana is lush and wonderful too, any soul who can entertain and stimulate kids like that is a wonder to the world! I would love to go to the movies with her … it’s the only way to go.
Terrific story and lucky you and brother!
Your childhood imaginary play sounds like that which my own brother and I shared. Thank you for reminding me how much fun I had as a kid. This is a great-sounding recipe. Isn’t it amazing how many cultures have a “meat pie” of sorts? My boyfriend is Argentinean, which means we have empanadas at least twice a month. This recipe is very similar.
Now that is a wonderful description of a grandmothers magic. I agree that she would include your recipe into her goodies. You and your brother are lucky to have such wonderful memories, and your parents even luckier to have someone like her leave you two with.
These meat pies remind me alot of empanadas. I just want to reach in , grab one , add a bit of chile sauce, and bite
And I also intended to say how much I love Arabesque! We cooked out of it when I had company during holidays and then I gave it as a gift. It is a beautiful book and full of great recipes and ideas.
I love the stories of spending time with your grandma! It brings back memories of time spent with my grandma all those years ago. =)
The meat pies look really good. I just so happen to have some puff pastry on hand, so this sounds like it might be dinner this week! WOO!
xoxo
I wonder why now I want to have some burritos?
You make me want to turn my blog into a food blog. Hee hee hee.
Oh My God! They look fantastic!
I loved your story, its just enchanting. The pictures look awesome, I can’t wait to make this I love delicious foods like this one. Is your brother still interested in dinesaurs?
YUM! I can not wait to try these. I have some veggie “meat” waiting to be used. Loved the story with nana as well, adorable.
What a lovely story Ariela. Grandmothers are always the best and your talas boreqi looks just scrumptious…Feta and meat and puff pastry…Yum!! a cup of mint tea and I will be in heaven
FABULOUS picture…i’m SO hungry now!!
Your picture is beautiful and your recipe is so wonderful
Congratulations
yum, that meat pie looks real scrumptious. REading your story about your nana reminded me of my own grandma who takes me to movies. And it does not matter what movie too. I usually fall asleep in the theatre. But I reamember looking forward to that bag of chips and soda! Great picture of the family…your nana looks like a real cool lady.
Man…vegetarian meat-type products certainly looks the part…I just wish it tasted the part too, then I’d switch
I love this story! I love the whole adventure.
I love this post Ari, your Nana sounds like such an amazing woman! I think you are right, she sure would have snuck these talas boregi into the theater!
What a great recipe! I tried to sneak food into the theater once - home popped popcorn, chips and a hotdog wrapped in foil. BUT I FORGOT I HAD A HOTDOG IN THERE….2 weeks later digging to the bottom of my back for a piece of gum….I came up with a moldy narly hotdog. GROSS
What a cool (and wise) Nana you have! Homemade food is always better than the overpriced junk they sell at the movie theatre.
Oh, Ari, this is just my kind of post. I love the image of your Nana hiding her edible treasures in her overstuffed purse. Empanadas beat Jumior Mints anyday! Thanks for the heartwarming story.
Oh, yum, that’s an awesome recipe! A great post…
I loved reading about your Nana…what a great story and what a great Nana! Hope you still have her in your life and that she’s in good health.
Hi Ari! These sound fantastic! The puff pastry, the currents, the pine nuts… what an intriguing combination of sweet and savoury, flaky and smooth… yum!
What a great story Ari! You’ll definitely have to pack some treats for a movie next time you go to San Diego.
ode to all the nana’s with their purses! loved your stories, we also were a family if movie snack smugglers
oh and you know how i feel about meat pies, yum!
Christopher - He is very smart! He’s not digging for dinosaurs anymore though. He decided business was better for him.
Asha - There is a photo of my in the about section that is more recent. Puff pastry is an awesome combination with this filling!
Freya - Roden is an amazing author, her books are so rich with history and tradition, not to mention the delicious recipes!
Babycakes - Thank you! A pistachio cake or baklava might be a nice follow up… pistachio flavored ice cream might be good too, or honey-rose ice cream. I’ll check Roden’s book when I get home and see what Turkish recipes she suggests.
Lydia - Memories of our grandparents and childhood are such a blessing no?
oui !!! cool thank you … I wanted to fix them today but tonight dessert is a vanilla / fresh cherries and chocolate chunks homemade icecream … not sure it’s a proper combination
;)
I enjoyed that story
Your Nana sounds lovely! and your pasteries look really delicious, mmm.
Mishmash - Let me know how it turns out, I’ve become totally addicted to this recipe. Not only because it’s delicious but because I can eat it without utensils! Hooray for pocket pies.:)
Peabody - Ground lamb would also be great!
Cynthia - Ooo! How was Pirates of the Caribbean? And, perhaps more importantly, what kinds of goodies did you sneak in?
Tanna - Nana really is a wonder to the world, she’s our family treasure.
Thank you for leaving such a heart-warming comment!
Christina - When I think back upon all the games my brother and I used to play I’m amazed by how vivid our imaginations were. I still have a pretty good imagination, but it’s nowhere what it used to be. Some things kids just do best I guess! And yes, it is amazing how many cultures have meat pies - a testament to their deliciousness!
Sophie - They remind me of empanadas too, which is why I think Nana would love them. I have soooo many recipes to share with her and the rest of my family the next time I visit home, lol.
Tanna - It is a great book! It’s become one of our favorites since we added it to our collection.
Lisa - Woohoo! That is going to be great dinner. And I’m so glad I could bring back memories of your grandmother for you.
Tarie - The puff pies are wonderful…. but so are the burritos! A woman after my own heart you are.
Stephanie - Thanks! I hope you try the recipe.
Monika - He is still interested in dinosaurs but not in quite the same way. He went and grew up on us, darn it!
CountryGirlCityLife - Yay! I love it when I hear that someone is going to try a recipe I’ve posted. Let me know how it turns out.
Rose - I hadn’t thought to pair this dish with mint tea, but you know, I think the two might go well together. Hmmm. You’ve got my wheels a’turning.
Babycakes - I looked in Roden’s book and here are some of the Turkish desserts she recommends: Apricots Stuffed with Cream, Compote of Fresh Apricots, Orange Pudding, Roast Quinces, Rice Pudding with Rose Water, Pistachio Cake & Yogurt Cake. :yum:
Wow…my grandma just had werther’s originals in her purse…all the time…and I can remember her opening up those loud, scrunchy little packages. Years later, I would find the wrappers on the floor of my car.
You’re lucky!! Go live it up at the movies with your Nana!
Hi Ari
What a wonderful story about Grandma. My grandparents were all dead before I was born but I hope my grandchildren (I am currently looking after all 3 of them)have such fond memories of me.
By the way
Great pies they look like they should jump off the page into my hand
I kept smiling when I read about your Nana’s Mary Poppins bag
And what a beautiful family!
thank you so much Ariela, that’s very sweet of you …every suggestion sound wonderful, I will just skip the Rice Pudding with Rose Water …no rice allowed for me … But I just bought fresh apricot on the market yesterday …
:) 
Hi Ari,
I just read your book review on Like Water For Chocolate. I read this book a long time ago and remember thoroughly enjoying it.
But you have sparked my interest again and I plan to put it on my list for a re-read.
Thank you for the excellent review.
Btw, maybe I should make Talas Boreqi to accompany me when I sit down for my comfy read.
Lily - Thanks! I hope you try the recipe out and satisfy that hunger!
Pom d’Api - Thank you very much, I’m glad you like them.
Veron - Nana is a cool lady, I hope I’m as cool as her when I’m her age! I’m glad my story could remind you of all the times spent with your grandma - such simple pastimes, yet such great pleasures!
Jeff - As a fellow meat-lover I understand what you’re saying for sure. St. Yves is pretty good though… in fact I sometimes prefer it to the “real” stuff. Blasphemy, I know!
Brilynn - I’m so glad!
Naomi - She is an amazing woman, and we’re definitely going to try this recipe out next time I visit home!
Steamy Kitchen - Oh my god! That is gross. Horribly funny too, but only because it didn’t happen to me… yet, lol.
Lisa - You’re right (and so is Nana) homemade food so much better for you… and much more fun too since you have to sneak it into the theatre!
Susan - You said it, empanadas over junior mints! In fact, I think that’s going to be my new motto, lol.
Rosa - Glad you liked it!
Janice - I’m so lucky that I do still have her in my life. She lives in San Diego and I’m in CT, so we don’t see each other very often, but thankfully she emails and of course there is the phone! We’re working on incorporating webcams into our conversations too.
Gilly - The combination of spices, herbs, currants and pine nuts is just beyond fantastic in this dish. I love how Roden combined spices Americans normally associate with sweets into a savory dish.
Pam - Oh you bet! I can’t wait.
Aria - Movie snack smugglers unite! Little adventures like that are so much fun no?
Babycakes - As for proper combinations, I think that if it tastes good to you, it’s the right combination!
Kelly-Jane - Nana is a treasure, as is my Mom who I have to write an entry about sometime so long as it doesn’t embarrass her, lol.
Ari, we made these this afternoon using real ground meat and they were wonderful! A real crowd pleaser and gourmet game food if you ask me! (We’re watching baseball today.)
Cute photo and lovely story. The meat pies actually look really meaty, fooled me until I read the ingredients. I’ll have to make these sometime, they look delicious.
A heartbreaker even at 15. Amazing.
The recipe is fine all on it’s own, Ari, but the personal story about your grandmother gives the recipe even more depth and nuance. This was a really great post–and a very nice picture too!
What a fantastic recipe and story!!
Sarah - My Nana had Werthers originals too… I haven’t had them in ages but will definitely be craving some now, lol.
Gilli - I’m sure your grandchildren are going to have wonderful memories of you!!
Gattina - Thank you! Yea, it was pretty amazing how much stuff she could fit into an innocent looking bag.
Babycakes - No problem, I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to make!
RuthL - well, seeing as I’ve reread it twice now, I certainly won’t talk you out of doing the same! It’s such a great book.
Matt - I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the talas boregi! And you’re right, these do seem like perfect gourmet game food.
Amy - I once fooled my brother into eating vegetarian chili, which he loved until he found out that “real looking” meat wasn’t meat at all, but soy meat! Veggie products can look pretty genuine these days, and taste (almost) genuine too with the right flavorings.
Utenzi - Oh you are too kind! I’m glad you enjoyed the entry.
Andi - Thank you!
I love the old picture of you and your nana… talas borgi looks delicious. beautiful pic!
This post is like sitting down with a loved one at the ned of the day: comfort, fun, sometimes hysterical and ending up on a highly yummy note.
Great post!
I love this post Ari, what a magical childhood memory. My sister and I used to spend hours running around in our yard, making up stories and having fun together. What freedom children have!
And the pies look delicious, I think the kids would LOVE these. Thanks!
This carnivore cannot believe she was just drooling at a picture of a vegetarian recipe! I totally thought it was meat until you let us in on the ingredients.
Loved the stories of your Nana!
She sounds like a great lady…and lots of fun!
Those meat pies look delicious!
OH yes…the contents of Grandmas purse. Always something intriguing in there!
This recipe looks so good!
The meat in the picture fooled me too when I first saw it because I know your and your hubby are vegetarians! But soy is really good and I often opt for it too so I love your substitutions. What a beautiful memory you have with your Nana. And with such an inquisitive mind at age 5, I wonder what your brother is doing now!
Everytime I visit you I find myself wanting to go and cook!
Thank you for sharing such a heartwarming story about your family and this amazing meat pie recipe. Your delicious picture captures every flake of crust and niblet of ground beef. Shoot, if my Asian grandma also knew about these talas boregi, I think she’d approve too!