Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- about 280 ml warm water
- 1 tspsalt
- 2 tbspolive oil
Filling
- 1.5 kgSwiss chard, blitva, finely shredded
- 1large bunch flat parsley
- 6spring onions, finely sliced
- 4 tbspolive oil
- salt and pepper
To finish
- 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
- 6 tbspolive oil
Equipment
- a large round baking sheet or a hearth
- a very long rolling pin
To serve
- cut into diamonds
- with red wine
Directions
- Make the dough first. Mix the flour, salt, water and oil into a firm dough. Knead it hard for 10 minutes until it is very smooth and elastic. Knead it thoroughly, because it has to be rolled almost transparent and only a well-developed dough will take that. Rest it, covered, for at least 30 minutes, and an hour is better. Wash the chard and shred it as finely as you can.
- Shred it finely. Large pieces of chard trap water and steam, and they push the two thin sheets apart. Chop the parsley and slice the spring onions finely. Salt draws water out of chard within minutes.
- Toss the chard, parsley and onion with the olive oil and pepper, and add the salt just before assembling. Roll the first piece out as thin as you possibly can, into a large circle.
- Roll it until you can nearly see the board through it. Thick soparnik is heavy and doughy, and the whole point is a thin case around a lot of filling. Roll from the centre outward and turn the sheet as you go.
- Lift it onto a large baking sheet or a floured board, letting it overhang. Now spread the chard filling evenly over it, leaving a border of about 4 cm. Pile it fairly thick and even, since the filling collapses to almost nothing as it cooks. Roll the second sheet just as thin and lay it over the top. Now seal, and the way it is done is characteristic.
- Fold the overhanging bottom edge up over the top sheet and roll it inward, pinching as you go all the way round. Prick the top in a few places with a fork. In Poljica it is slid onto a hot stone hearth, covered with hot ash and embers, and baked for about 20 minutes.
- Crush the garlic to a paste, mix it with olive oil, and brush the whole surface generously while it is still hot. Brush it while hot, so the garlic oil soaks in rather than sitting on the surface, and be generous with both. Serve it warm or at room temperature, with red wine. It keeps a day and is good cold, which is why it travels to picnics and to fields.
Technique
- It holds a protected traditional speciality designation in Croatia.
- Similar chard pies are made along the Dalmatian coast under other names.
- It is a Lenten and Christmas Eve dish, being entirely meat-free.
Substitutions
- Spinach in place of chard, though chard is what it should be.
- A pizza stone in place of a hearth.
Variations
- With a little onion and pancetta, which is not traditional.
- Made smaller, as individual pies.
- With more spring onion, which some households prefer.
History
From the Poljica republic near Omiš, baked on the hearth under ashes and protected as a Croatian traditional speciality.
Frequently asked questions
What is Soparnik?
Soparnik is a bread & pastry from Croatia: thin chard pie baked under embers and brushed with garlic oil. From the Poljica republic near Omiš, baked on the hearth under ashes and protected as a Croatian traditional speciality.
How long does Soparnik take to make?
Soparnik takes 1 hr plus 30 min resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 large pie, 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Soparnik?
Yes, within limits. Spinach in place of chard, though chard is what it should be. A pizza stone in place of a hearth.
What is the most important thing to get right in Soparnik?
Roll it until you can nearly see the board through it. Thick soparnik is heavy and doughy, and the whole point is a thin case around a lot of filling. Roll from the centre outward and turn the sheet as you go.
