Name: Zeljanica
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Bosnia
Ingredients: 8-10 phyllo or yufka pastry sheets; 600 g spinach, fresh, washed and chopped, or thawed frozen; 300 g fresh white cheese, crumbled; 3 eggs; 1 onion, finely chopped; 100 ml neutral oil or melted butter, for brushing and the filling; salt and black pepper, to taste

Zeljanica takes the same coiled pastry technique as sirnica, but fills it with spinach cooked down with onion, combined with fresh cheese and egg rather than cheese alone.

It's one of the most common of Bosnia's savory pies, found at bakeries throughout the country alongside its cheese and potato cousins.

Part of our 20 best Bosnian recipes list.

method

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), and lightly oil a round baking pan.

Sauté the onion in a little oil until soft, then add the chopped spinach and cook until wilted and any excess liquid has evaporated. Let cool slightly.

Mix the cooked spinach with the crumbled cheese and eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

Lay out a sheet of pastry, brush lightly with oil, and spread a thin layer of the spinach-cheese filling along one edge.

Roll the sheet loosely into a long coil, and curl it into a spiral in the pan. Repeat with the remaining sheets, continuing the spiral outward.

Brush the top generously with oil, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.

Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm.

chef's tips

Cooking off as much liquid from the spinach as possible before it goes into the filling is essential; too much moisture makes the pastry soggy.
Fresh spinach gives a better texture than frozen if you have the time, but well-drained thawed frozen spinach is a perfectly acceptable substitute.