1. What are your traditional dishes (traditional cooking)?
We have a lot of traditional dishes in Slovenia; it really depends on the region (the part of Slovenia). But we would say that our famous traditional dishes are: Prekmurska gibanica (it is a unique dessert classed among national dishes of Slovenia), Potica and Kremšnita. Whoever comes to Slovenia definitely tries them and they are immediately impressed as they are sweet, yummy and beautifully looking. Practically every region of the country produces its own specialty cakes and pastries which are delicious. The expression is “to die for”, which goes for describing food and drink of Slovenia. Sometimes it is the key reason why our neighbouring countries come to visit us.
2. Please send us three recipes and photos of these dishes.
Prekmurska Gibanica (Prekmurian layer cake or Prekmurje dough-pie ) is a layered cake originating in the region of Prekmurje, Slovenia. It contains poppy seeds, walnuts, apples, raisins and cottage cheese fillings.
Ingredients:Dough:
30 dag flour
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
2 tablespoons wine
1 tablespoon sugar.
salt to taste
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing dough
Fillings:
poppy seed feeling:
40 dag poppy seeds
20 dag sugar
cinnamon to taste
1 cup hot milk
Apple filling:
50 dag apples, grated
20 dag sugar
cinnamon to taste
1 lemon rind, grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cottage cheese filling:
50 dag cottage cheese
3 dl sour cream
1 egg
20 dag sugar
2 tablesoons raisins, soaked in rum
vanilla to taste
Walnut filling:
50 dag ground walnuts
20 dag sugar
cinnamon to taste
sour cream
Mix ingredients for each
filling. / The picture:
Darker layer has more poppy seeds. Both are well known.
The preparation:
Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Knead the dough thoroughly and let stand for 1 hour. Then roll it out and cut to plates, which suit the baking tin. You can buy already made dough leaves. Place one layer to the bottom of greased tin and spread half of the poppy filling evenly over it. Poppy seeds should be soaked in hot milk. Cover the layer with another sheet. Continue the procedure with halves of apple filling, cottage cheese filling and walnut filling.
Mix the ingredients for individual fillings. The poppy seeds should be grounded. Sprinkle apples with lemon juice with grated lemon rind. Spread half of each filling over a sheet and cover with another sheet. Sprinkle the sheets with melted butter. Repeat the procedure with another half of filling. A dough sheet must be on the top. Spread sour cream over the gibanica and bake about 1 hour.
Then enjoy.
Orehova potica (a WallNut Roll) is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste, then rolledup into a log, baked, and sliced crosswise. It resembles a jelly roll (swiss roll). Filling commonly have as their main ingrediant ground walnuts or poppy seeds, sometimes with raisins. They are usually used for weddings, Easter, Christmas as well as other celebrations or holidays.
Ingredients:2 teaspoons dry active yeast
½ Cup warm milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
Dissolve yeast and sugar in milk let set 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
Dough
1 ½ Cups Milk
¾ Cups Shortening
5 Egg Yolks
¾ Cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg
7-7 ½ Cups All purpose Flour / The picture:
The preparation:
Combine Yeastmixture and the rest (except 2 Cups of flour) mix add the remaining flour until the dough can be handled without sticking takes 20 minutes kneading by hand, 9 minutes on a mixer with a bread hook.
Put dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic rap and let it relax and double in size in a warm environment.
Walnut Filling
1 stick margarine or butter (¼ pound)
1 ½ Cups milk
2 Cups sugar
½ Cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
Grated peel of a lemon
5 egg whites
Cinnamon
Start with milk and Egg whites in 4 quart saucepan (or double boiler) and bring to 120 F, add margarine, zest and honey, then combine the dry ingredients then add it to the mixure, then bring to a simmer.
Take the mixture off of the heat and add 2 Pounds Walnuts, ground fine.
Roll out the dough pretty thin, spread the filling (should not be hot) on the dough and roll it up (Potica)
You want it to end up as a 4 inch diameter cylinder, cut into loaves that will fit in your bread pans. (Good Idea to have a little piece of dough to put over the ends) or you can also use a “bunt” pan
Cover with plastic wrap and let it relax and rise (not quite double in size)
Egg wash the top if you want a shinny top
Bake in preheated oven at 325 F for 1 hour.
Dobertek - good appetite!!
Kremšnita (Bled cream slice) form the region Bled is a traditional pastry which will want you to have more.
Ingredients:2 baked puff pastry sheets
Filling:
200 g cornstarch
9 eggs (separated)
12 tbsp (tablespoons) of sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp rum
1 l milk
1 l water / The picture:
The Preparation:
Mix cornstarch, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, rum and a few tablespoons of cold milk.
Boil remaining milk with water in a double boiler.
Add egg mixture to milk an continue to cook until thick, stirring very frequently.
Beat eggs whites until stiff. Fold into the custard.
Place one layer of puff pastry on bottom of baking dish. Spread evenly with custard. Place second layer of puff pastry on top, pressing down slightly. Refrigerate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top.
Later - cut in squared peaces and just enjoy!
“We became hungry answering this question. It is great to know how to make Blejska rezina, we all love it the best.”(5th B group- answering the question from Slovenia)