Zeljanica

I had a hard time choosing my third Bosnian recipe, mainly because they ones I found take a lot of time to make, which I'm kind of short on these days. Eventually, I settled on a spinach and cheese zeljanica burek that reminds me very much of Greek spanakopita.

I found a slightly different version of this pie that used feta cheese, so my version is actually a blend of the two. It does take a while to make - I think that's a given with any recipe that uses filo - but it's definitely worth the effort. I'll spare you the mechanics of dealing with filo and leave that fun for you to discover if you aren't already familiar with it. Once you've got the knack for it, you end up with a creamy and tangy and truly satisfying meal.

Here's how I made it:

olive oil
1/2 package filo pastry
2 bags washed fresh spinach, blanched
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, divided
1/2 lb ricotta cheese
7 oz feta cheese
1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, blend the eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, ricotta and feta till smooth. Add in the spinach (squeeze out any excess water).

Layer about 5-6 sheets of filo in the bottom of a 13x9 pan and brush them with olive oil. Spread some of the spinach mixture over the filo. Repeat until the mixture is gone and end with filo on top.

Bake for 30 minutes. mix together the remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream with the milk, pour it over the top of the pie and bake for another 10 minutes.