Rainbow Chard & Feta Cheese Börek

There is a little cornershop close to where we live that sells beautiful seasonal vegetables, the freshest bunches of mint and big spice bags with dried whole cumin seeds, fennel, za'atar and coriander. They also sell (very affordable) takeaway boxes with vegetarian food from the Middle East and Eastern Europe which they cook in the shop. They have meze platters, dolma, rice stuffed peppers, lentil balls and zucchini fritters. And to the left of the cashier they also have long cigar shaped hand-pies with a hand written sign above that says Börek. They make new batches a few times every day so if you are lucky you can get them hot off the oven. Crunchy on the outside with burnt edges and gooey, cheesy and stuffed with chard towards the centre. These Börek are famous across the neighborhood and even though the price has doubled in the past five years, it still feels like a bargain to pick up a few pies for us and the kids as a snack (or dinner if you buy a few). It is basically the only time our kids eat chard with a smile.

I have been experimenting with making Börek at home that taste similar to the cornershop version and now I finally feel that I've nailed it. I use Yufka dough which is similar to phyllo dough but a little thicker, so if you use phyllo, you can use double or tripple layers.

As a not-so-little bonus I also figured out an easy hack how to make gluten free Börek! The secret is that you can replace the dough with rice paper, that you brush with egg wash and bake in a similar fashion. The signature börek flavor is in the yogurt, oil and egg wash and the rice paper crisps up nicely when baked.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 100 g / 4 handfuls rainbow chard (or swiss chard)
• A small handful fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp sumac
• 200 g / 1 1/2 cup feta cheese