Zelnik

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 300 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspoil

Leek filling

• 6leeks, finely sliced
• 200 gwhite cheese, crumbled
• 2eggs
• 3 tbspoil
• black pepper

Or

• 500 gnettles or spinach, blanched and squeezed
• or 400 g white cheese with eggs
• or sorrel, in spring

To assemble

• 150 mloil
• or lard

Equipment

• a round baking pan
• or a hearth and a sač, the metal dome

To serve

• warm, with yoghurt or ayran

Directions

1. Mix the flour, salt, water and oil into a soft dough and knead it for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Knead it properly, since it has to be rolled or stretched very thin.
2. Divide it into balls, oil them, cover them and rest them for at least 30 minutes. The rest is what lets it be rolled thin, and an unrested dough springs back.
3. Roll them close to translucent. Thick pastry gives a heavy, bready pie rather than the fine layers zelnik should have. Pick young nettle tops only, in spring, and rinse them thoroughly.
4. Mix the prepared greens with the crumbled cheese, eggs and pepper. Taste before adding salt, since the cheese brings a good deal. Oil the pan and lay in a sheet of pastry, letting it overhang. Brush it generously with oil, then add another sheet.
5. Brush every sheet, right to the edges. Do not make the filling layers too thick, since the point of zelnik is many alternating layers rather than one big filling. Fold the overhanging edges in over the top and brush them. Score through only the top sheets rather than to the bottom.
6. Brush the surface with oil and flick a little water over it. The few drops of water stop the top curling and browning too fast, which is an old habit across the region. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 35 to 40 minutes until deep golden. Bake it properly. A pale zelnik is soggy underneath, and the base must be as cooked as the top.
7. Rest it for 15 minutes before cutting. Cut along the score lines and serve it warm. Serve yoghurt or ayran alongside, which is the standard partner. It keeps a day and is refreshed briefly in a hot oven.

Technique

• Baking under a sač on the hearth is the traditional method.
• Nettles were once more commonly used than spinach.
• It is built in layers rather than coiled as a spiral.

Substitutions

• Ready-made filo, which is a common shortcut.
• Spinach in place of nettles.

Variations

• Made with cheese alone.
• Made with nettles or sorrel in spring.
• Made with a maize flour pastry, which is older.

History

Thin pastry pie filled with leek, nettle, spinach or cheese, traditionally baked on a hearth in the villages.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zelnik?

Zelnik is a bread & pastry from North Macedonia: thin filo pie with leek, sorrel or cheese. Thin pastry pie filled with leek, nettle, spinach or cheese, traditionally baked on a hearth in the villages.

How long does Zelnik take to make?

Zelnik takes 1 hr plus 30 min resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Zelnik?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made filo, which is a common shortcut. Spinach in place of nettles.

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

Roll them close to translucent. Thick pastry gives a heavy, bready pie rather than the fine layers zelnik should have. Pick young nettle tops only, in spring, and rinse them thoroughly.