Pispili

Ingredients

Batter

• 300 gfine maize flour
• 80 gplain flour
• 400 mlkos yoghurt
• 200 mlwater
• 3large eggs
• 100 mlolive oil
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• 1.5 tspfine salt

Greens and curd

• 400 gleeks, finely sliced
• 300 gspinach or young nettle tops, chopped
• 1 bunchspring onions, sliced
• 250 gfresh gjizë curd, crumbled
• 100 gfeta, crumbled
• 2 tbspdried mint
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 60 mlolive oil

For the pan

• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1 tbspmaize flour, for dusting

Directions

1. Soften the leeks in the 60 ml olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, add the spinach and spring onions and cook 5 minutes more until wilted and the pan is dry.
2. Tip into a sieve and press out the liquid, then cool; wet greens will sink through the batter and leave a raw seam at the bottom.
3. Whisk the kos, water, eggs and oil together, then beat in the maize flour, plain flour, salt and bicarbonate to a thick pourable batter. It should drop heavily from the spoon, not run.
4. Fold in the cooled greens, the crumbled gjizë, feta, dried mint and pepper, keeping the curd in visible lumps rather than beating it smooth.
5. Oil a 30 cm round metal pan generously and dust with maize flour, then heat the empty pan in the oven for 5 minutes so the batter sets on contact and the base crusts.
6. Pour in the batter, level it, and trickle a little more oil over the surface.
7. Bake at 190°C (375°F) fan for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep gold and cracked, the edges have pulled from the pan and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Rest 20 minutes before cutting into squares or wedges. Pispili is eaten warm or cold, with more kos on the side.

Technique

• The bicarbonate reacts with the acid in the kos, which is what lifts a batter with almost no gluten in it. Bake it as soon as it is mixed or the lift is spent.
• Maize flour absorbs water slowly, so a batter that looks right at first will stiffen in the pan. Err on the loose side.
• This is a southeastern Albanian dish from Korça and Devoll, sitting between a cornbread and a crustless pie. Every household weights the greens and the curd differently.

Substitutions

• No gjizë: use ricotta, drained an hour in a sieve, or double the feta and cut the salt to 1 teaspoon.
• Out of leek season, use 700 g of spinach, chard or wild greens alone, wilted and squeezed dry.

Variations

• A plain pispili with only spring onions and curd is made in early spring when greens are scarce.
• Some Korça cooks bake it under a saç with embers on the lid, giving a much darker, blistered crust.

History

A Korçë and southeastern Albanian cornbread; maize replaced older grains in the highlands after it arrived from the Americas.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pispili?

Pispili is a bread & pastry from Albania: cornbread baked with leeks, spinach and fresh gjizë curd. A Korçë and southeastern Albanian cornbread; maize replaced older grains in the highlands after it arrived from the Americas.

How long does Pispili take to make?

Pispili takes 25 min of preparation and 55 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 pan, 8 slices. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pispili?

Yes, within limits. No gjizë: use ricotta, drained an hour in a sieve, or double the feta and cut the salt to 1 teaspoon. Out of leek season, use 700 g of spinach, chard or wild greens alone, wilted and squeezed dry.

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

Fold in the cooled greens, the crumbled gjizë, feta, dried mint and pepper, keeping the curd in visible lumps rather than beating it smooth.