North Macedonia: Burek (Meat Pie)

It took a long time just to start this one and gather up some thoughts.  I am also suffering a post-Thanksgiving turkey hangover to boggle my brain even more.  I’ve learned about Macedonia, I can even regurgitate some fun facts about Alexander the Great. But, like most things from 10th-grade history, those fun facts have been replaced. Things like trying to remember the karate schedule and where I put my keys.  What I didn’t know is that this little country has reappeared from the times of Ancient Greece and landed itself in the 21^st century.

Drawing North Macedonia this week was a good reminder of why we started this project.  It was fun celebrating a virtual Oktoberfest and things that are familiar to us.  Opa to great Greek night that we frequent a lot in this house. I like reliving tales of my more ‘spirited’ college days.  But North Macedonia, you were a surprise – a country rich in history, thousands of years of empires and conquests. Yet, here I sit so oblivious to an ounce of your culture today.  And, where in the globe is South Macedonia? Just an FYI, we’ve really enjoyed this little Youtube series by Geography Now to help us learn a fact or two…

Here’s where it starts to get deep.  What else have I been so oblivious to? What things have I mindfully forgotten, maybe because I think I can’t fix it enough to make a difference?  I think my insensitivity does not exist only within my thoughts of global or national current events, but how often do we forget to look within our own community? Those, right next door struggling to feed their kids or keep warm in the winter months, or neighbors missing their families at the holidays. 

I’ve remained pretty shielded from this weird year. I am fortunate enough to telework while the kids are teleschooling. I have supportive friends and good health.  Not the most fun of all my years, but 2020 taught me to embrace these moments of reflection.  It (re)taught me to enjoy the small things- game nights and baking.  Camp-fires in the backyard.  Toilet paper. 

Not to boast (too much), but I think we’ve done pretty stellar teaching our kids to love nature and the outdoors.  I think they have pretty good manners and are respectful to the rules.  But at the end of the day, I hope the thing we can do most for our kids is really lead them to having full hearts for others. Listening to our neighbors in their times of joy and struggle, embracing cultures and traditions not familiar to our own, and loving the community around them that has silently provided so many things we take for granted – amazing schools, beautiful relationships with people who love fiercely, and endless opportunity. 

Mic drop.

And with that, I give you North Macedonia Burek. In Macedonia, this is considered comfort food. I think it could be comfort food anywhere. Of all the countries we’ve tried so far, this recipe was voted the unanimous winner. I should have made two… Double the recipe when you have growing boys in your house that always seem hungry.

North Macedonia: Burek (Meat Pie)

Ingredients:

• 1 package phyllo dough
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 c. chopped parsely
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c. melted butter

Directions:

1. The meal starts off by just cooking the meat, onion, parsely and spices together until they are all cooked through. To make the next part easier, you should let it cool before rolling the mixture into the dough.

2. Lay a thin line of the meat mixture across a sheet and the phyllo dough and gently roll creating a tube.

I had never really cooked with phyllo dough before, so rolling the meat into totubes was a little bit of trial and error. Luckily the pacakge of dough had plenty extra! It helps to keep a damp paper towel over the sheets you are not working with.

3. Shape the pie by gently rolling the middle section and connecting new tubes to the outside until the pie dish is full.

4. Paint a light coating on top with the melted butter
5. Bake at 350 degrees until phyllo is cooked through and golden. It should take about 15 minutes.

вкусен!

File: North Macedonia; Burek (Meat Pie)