Prekmurska gibanica is an interesting combination of cake and pastry, and hails originally from the Prekmurje region of Slovenia.
Prekmurje Gibanica is made from two types of pastry: flan and filo.The flan pastry is used to cover the bottom of the deep baking dish or tin —the dough at the base must be harder because the gibanica is heavy.
Original Filo Pastry ingredients removed and commerical filo dough used in its place. Brush the top of each filo sheet with melted butter when constructing the pie.
Serves: 20
Ingredients
Base Pastry
- 250 grams flour
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1 each egg
- 2 tablespoons cream (2 to 3)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Layer Pastry
- 1/2 pound filo dough (1/2 package) thaw per package instructions
Poppy Seed Filling
- 200 grams poppy seeds, ground
- 50 grams sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- 100 milliliters milk, or cream (approximately)
- 1 egg
Cottage Cheese Filling
- 400 grams cottage cheese
- 1 each egg
- 100 milliliters sour cream
- 50 grams raisins
- 50 grams sugar
Walnut Filling
- 200 grams ground walnuts
- 50 grams sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- cinnamon (to taste)
- 100 milliliters milk (100 to 200)
Apple Filling
- 500 grams apples
- 30 grams sugar
- grated peel of one lemon
- cinnamon to taste
Other
- butter
- cream
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients for the flan pastry in a bowl. Knead thoroughly until the dough is smooth; allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filo pastry: mix all the ingredients into a dough, make several smaller loaves and allow them to rest for 30 minutes. While the doughs are resting, prepare the fillings.
Poppy Seed Filling: grind the seeds, scald with boiling milk; add sugar, spices and vanilla sugar, then mix.
Cottage Cheese Filling: break up the cottage cheese with a fork; add the egg, cream, washed raisins and sugar. Mix thoroughly.
Walnut Filling: grind the walnuts and scald with milk; add sugar, vanilla sugar and cinnamon then mix. This filling must be a smooth paste.
Apple Filling: peel the apples, cut into thin slices, then stew with sugar. Add the cinnamon and grated lemon peel.
Roll out the more brittle flan pastry dough to half a centimetre thickness, and use it to line a greased baking dish, preferably an earthen one. The dough must stretch over the edge of the dish. Sprinkle some flour over a cloth and stretch the filo pastry dough very thinly over it and allow to dry a little.
Now one can start composing the gibanica. Spread a one centimeter thick layer of poppy seed filling on the flan pastry, cover with 2 sheets of filo pastry, then sprinkle with some melted butter. Spread the cottage cheese filling over the filo pastry and cover with another 2 sheets of filo pastry; and again sprinkle with melted butter. Spread the walnut filling over this leaf, cover with another 2 sheets pastry and sprinkle with butter. Make a layer of apple filling, cover it with another 2 sheets of filo pastry and sprinkle with more butter. Repeat the whole process again. Cover the final layer of filling with three or four sheets of filo pastry and sprinkle with butter. Finally, spread some cream over the gibanica and bake in a moderate preheated oven for approximately one hour.
Suggested Wine: Traminec, Rulandec or Rumeni
Nutrition
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 324 Calories; 16g Fat (42.1% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 45mg Cholesterol; 161mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
