Best Yugoslavian Pita Recipes

BOSNIAN PITA (PHYLLO PIE) WITH SPINACH FILLING

Steps:

• WASH HANDS (This recipe requires you to work with the food directly with your hands).
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Wash and drain spinach.
• Chop spinach and put in a big glass bowl.
• Add salt and mix with hands.
• Leave the spinach to sit for about 10 minutes to allow the salt to draw out the water from the vegetable.
• The water in spinach will make the filling bitter so do not skip this step.
• Drain the spinach by either sqeezing it bit by bit with your hand over the sink or by spinning several times in a salad spinner.
• Transfer drained spinach into a new bowl.
• Add egg, and sour cream.
• Fold in feta and cheddar cheese.
• Put some olive oil in a small bowl.
• Grease a 9"*13" glass or metal baking pan.
• Take your phyllo dough sheets and lie the sheets, stacked, on a dry surface.
• TIP: (While adding the filling, you may wish to cover the dough with a dry towel and then a damp one to keep it from drying out or flaking) Place one sheet of dough into the pan and cut away excess.
• Brush with oil, using either your hands or a pastry brush.
• Repeat until dough is 6 or 7 layers.
• Add a skim of filling with hands and spread evenly.
• Repeat steps 16-18 until the pie reaches the top of the pan or you run out of ingredients.
• Just make sure you finish with the dough on top, sort of like lasagna.
• Place pie in the oven, uncovered, about 45 minutes.
• The top becomes flaky.
• Pour on top of the pie while it is baking, 1/4 cup sour cream blended with 0.125 cup of milk.
• Bake for 15 more minutes.
• This dish can be served warm or room temperature.
• It is traditionally served with a yogurt beverage which is easily replicated by mixing the plain yogurt with milk, in equal parts.

YUGOSLAVIAN PITA

Steps:

• Thaw phyllo dough according to package directions. Prepare filling ingredients before removing from package.
• To prepare filling, mix eggs and all three cheeses.
• Melt butter.
• Remove dough from package, placing it on a clean cloth. Cover with a lightly moistened cloth. Everytime you remove sheets of dough, replace the top covering cloth so that your dough does not dry out.
• Spread some butter on pan. Place two sheets of dough on yet another cloth. Sprinkle butter on the sheets. Put two more sheets on top of it; sprinkle with butter again. Add fifth sheet of dough.
• At one end of sheets (length wise), about 3 inches from the long edge, place several scoops of the mixture in a log shape. Do not place cheese all the way to the sides; leave a couple inches bare. Roll up. Tucking side edges under the roll, place roll in pan, seam side down. Put more butter on top.
• Repeat process for more rolls. It works best if pan is filled with rolls. I use a pan typically used for single layer cakes.
• Bake at 375 degrees for anywhere from 30 - 60 min, until golden brown.
• Let them rest for a little before cutting.