Idrijski žlikrofi

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 2eggs
• 100 mlwarm water
• 1 tbspoil
• ½ tspsalt

Filling

• 700 gfloury potatoes
• 100 gsmoked bacon, finely chopped
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 1 tspdried marjoram
• 1 tspchives
• salt
• black pepper

To serve

• bakalca sauce, or melted butter with breadcrumbs
• grated cheese

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel them while hot, and press them through a ricer.
2. Rice them hot and never blend them. Blended potato turns gluey, and this filling has to stay light and dry.
3. Fry the onion in the bacon fat until golden, then mix it into the potato with the bacon, marjoram, chives, salt and pepper.
4. Marjoram is the Idrija signature and it goes in generously.
5. Cool the filling and roll it into small balls about the size of a hazelnut.
6. Make a firm pasta dough with the flour, eggs, water, oil and salt, knead it 10 minutes, and rest it 30 minutes.
7. Roll the dough out very thin, thinner than you would for ravioli.
8. Cut it into strips and lay the filling balls along them at intervals, or cut discs and fill each one individually.
9. Fold the dough over the filling and press it down firmly all around each ball, pushing every trace of air out.
10. Now the shape, which is protected and specific. Press down with a finger just behind the ball to make a dent, which pushes the filling up into a peak and leaves a little hat.
11. That dent and peak are what make it a žlikrof rather than a ravioli. In 2010 they became the first Slovenian dish with EU protected status, and the shape is part of the specification.
12. Trim and separate them and set them on a floured cloth.
13. Boil in plenty of salted water for 5 to 7 minutes, until they float and the dough is tender.
14. Keep it at a gentle boil, since a hard one tears dough this thin.
15. Lift them out and serve with bakalca, the traditional Idrija lamb or beef sauce, or simply with melted butter and browned breadcrumbs.
16. They come from the mercury-mining town of Idrija, where they fed the miners, and the town still holds a festival for them.

Technique

• They are small, about 3 cm, and thirty to forty per person is a normal portion.
• The dough must be thin enough to see the filling through it.
• They freeze raw on a tray and go into the water straight from frozen.

Substitutions

• Pancetta in place of the smoked bacon.
• Any floury potato that rices dry.

Variations

• With bakalca sauce, which is the classic Idrija pairing.
• With butter and browned breadcrumbs.
• With a mushroom sauce.

History

Potato-filled dumplings from the mercury-mining town of Idrija; in 2010 they became the first Slovenian dish with EU protected status.

Frequently asked questions

What is Idrijski žlikrofi?

Idrijski žlikrofi is a main from Slovenia: potato-filled dumpling pockets from Idrija, sauced with bacon. Potato-filled dumplings from the mercury-mining town of Idrija; in 2010 they became the first Slovenian dish with EU protected status.

How long does Idrijski žlikrofi take to make?

Idrijski žlikrofi takes 1 hr 30 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Idrijski žlikrofi?

Yes, within limits. Pancetta in place of the smoked bacon. Any floury potato that rices dry.

What is the most important thing to get right in Idrijski žlikrofi?

Rice them hot and never blend them. Blended potato turns gluey, and this filling has to stay light and dry.