Parsley & Feta Pies (Pogça)

It was during the making of these adorable hand pies that I realized something was seriously wrong with my oven. Now, something has always been wrong with my oven, principally that it’s half the size of an oven fit for use by a full-grown human. But alas, to add to my already handicapped appliance, no sooner had I preheated it and inserted my first tray of pies than I realized that my entryway was filled with a pretty thick cloud of smoke. Within seconds, of course, my smoke detector was screeching, cats were scattering under furniture and I was sure that one of my neighbors, alarmed at the smoke that could likely now be smelled in the hallway, would knock on my door to make sure I wasn’t burning the building down. Was I? I wasn’t sure.

This long and off-topic intro bares several lessons, the first being that I need to move when my lease is up, because I’ve cleaned out the oven several times and am convinced that the apartment is just not set up for someone who cooks, what with a kitchen with an area of about 4 square feet and a smoke detector above it. The second is that these pies are not only adorable and delicious, but resilient! I took them out of the oven 3 or 4 times as I waffled back and forth over whether to proceed and potentially burn my building down, or abort the mission, save my neighbors and order dinner. If you weren’t sure what kind of person I am, I chose the former. Since this incident, I’ve implemented a new system which involves two ceiling fans, wide open windows and wearing woolen layers.

And so here we are, days after I’ve promised to come forth with holiday cookies and mulled wine and roasts, and I’m featuring savory Turkish pies. I promise that I am testing out some molasses cookies tonight, but I wanted to share these because they’re so delicious (and addictive), they look and taste like a lot of work but are very simple and forgiving, and I think they’d be great to serve for appetizers at a holiday party! They’re the perfect little canapes.

The dough here is super simple to make and to work with- olive oil and yogurt hold it together, it’s elastic and rolls out easily, and doesn’t get fussy when you handle it. The filling is a rich and interesting combination of feta and parsley- an herb which I think is underrepresented in most things we eat besides being used as a garnish. This is a great way to highlight its zesty flavor. Stuff your little pockets, brush on an egg wash and bake until golden.  Setting off the smoke alarm and inserting and removing the tray from the oven mid-bake are entirely optional.