Pastrmajlija

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gstrong white flour
• 350 mlwarm water
• 10 gfresh yeast, or 4 g instant dried
• 12 gsalt
• 3 tbspsunflower oil

Topping

• 600 gpastrma – salted, air-dried pork neck or belly – cut in 1.5 cm cubes; or fresh pork neck cured 24 hr in 2 tbsp salt and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tspsweet red paprika
• 1 tsphot paprika
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbsppork fat or sunflower oil

To finish

• 4eggs (optional but traditional in Stip)
• 4pickled green chillies (piperki), to serve

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, mix into the flour with the salt and oil and knead 10 minutes to a soft, smooth dough that springs back slowly when pressed.
2. Cover and prove 1.5–2 hours at room temperature until doubled.
3. If starting from fresh pork, rub the cubes with the salt and sugar and refrigerate 24 hours, then pat dry – this is the shortcut for real pastrma, which is dry-cured and air-dried for weeks.
4. Toss the cubed meat with both paprikas and the black pepper and leave at room temperature 30 minutes.
5. Heat the oven as hot as it will go, 250–280°C (475–525°F), with a baking stone or heavy tray inside for at least 40 minutes.
6. Divide the dough in four and stretch each piece by hand into a long oval about 30 by 15 cm, leaving a raised rim all round and pressing the centre thin with the fingertips, dimpling it so the fat pools.
7. Scatter the meat evenly across the centre, pressing the cubes lightly into the dough, and drizzle with the melted pork fat.
8. Slide onto the hot stone and bake 12–15 minutes until the rim is deeply browned and the meat has crisped at the edges and rendered its fat into the crumb.
9. For the Stip finish, crack an egg into the middle of each pie for the last 3–4 minutes so the white sets and the yolk stays soft.
10. Cut across into strips with scissors and eat straight from the board with pickled chillies and a glass of red wine or rakija.

Technique

• The oval shape is said to follow the shape of a ploughed field, and it matters – a round pie is a pizza, not a pastrmajlija.
• Pastrma is salted and air-dried meat, so it is already seasoned. If you use fresh pork, cure it at least overnight or the pie will taste flat and the meat will steam rather than crisp.
• The dough is left thick at the rim and thin in the middle so the base soaks up the rendered fat without going soggy.

Substitutions

• Air-dried pork neck (vratna pastrma) is hard to find outside the Balkans – use good pancetta or lightly smoked pork belly cut in cubes.
• Lamb pastrma is the older version and is still made in the villages around Stip; use diced mutton shoulder cured the same way.

Variations

• Pastrmajlija so jajce, topped with eggs, the version served at the Stip Pastrmajlija Festival every autumn.
• Lamb pastrmajlija, the original before pork became standard.
• Half-and-half pies with both pork and lamb, common in Skopje bakeries.

History

Bread base topped with cubed pork or lamb and an egg, from Štip, which holds an annual Pastrmalijada festival.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pastrmajlija?

Pastrmajlija is a main from North Macedonia: oval bread pie topped with cubed pork, sometimes egg. Bread base topped with cubed pork or lamb and an egg, from Štip, which holds an annual Pastrmalijada festival.

How long does Pastrmajlija take to make?

Pastrmajlija takes 35 min of preparation and 25 min, plus 2 hr proving of cooking. The recipe makes 4 pies. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pastrmajlija?

Yes, within limits. Air-dried pork neck (vratna pastrma) is hard to find outside the Balkans – use good pancetta or lightly smoked pork belly cut in cubes. Lamb pastrma is the older version and is still made in the villages around Stip; use diced mutton shoulder cured the same way.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pastrmajlija?

Pastrma is salted and air-dried meat, so it is already seasoned. If you use fresh pork, cure it at least overnight or the pie will taste flat and the meat will steam rather than crisp.