Pita Zeljanica – Pita filled with Spinach and vegan Feta-Cheese
Admittedly, I was pretty overwhelmed by the response that came to mom’s recipe for the Bosnian pita Krompiruša! By the way, mom is really happy that her recipe is so popular! Thank you for your numerous photos and messages on all channels! You gave me and my mom great pleasure! 😉
Since the Bosnian or Serbian pita with potatoes was so popular, here is the second version: Pita Zeljanica. I’ve perfected this a bit in the last few weeks. So here it comes – almost fresh from the oven! This time the filling consists mainly of spinach and feta cheese. Of course, I used the vegan version here and I’m very happy with the vegan feta cheese from Violife (Greek White/Just Like Feta Block)*. I even found it here in Portugal! It’s not a paid advertisement, I just think it’s great for the pita with spinach and “feta”. But enough beating about the bush: Let’s roll it out! 😉
Equipment
- bowl
- pan
- baking pan with baking sheet
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g wheat flour type 405
- 300 ml water lukewarm
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
Filling
- 1 big red onion cubed
- 1 cm ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small zucchini
- 500 g spinach fresh or frozen
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 200 g feta-cheese vegan
- 1 tbsp coconut oil for browning
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1-2 tsp Vegeta seasoning or ½ tsp vegetable broth powder
- some salt and pepper
Extra
- 1 tsp Vegeta seasoning or ½ tsp vegetable broth powder
- 50 ml water boiling
Instructions
Dough
- Mix the wheat flour with the pinch of salt, the rapeseed oil, and the lukewarm water by hand in a bowl to form a dough. It shouldn't be sticky anymore. Otherwise, add some more flour.
- Cover it with a dish towel and let it rest while you prepare the filling.
Filling
- Chop the onion, ginger and garlic and fry them in a pan with a little coconut oil.
- Cut the zucchini into small cubes (max. 1 cm) and add.
- If you're using frozen spinach, chop it up a little and add it. If you are using fresh spinach, add it and let it simmer a little until it collapses.
- Now you chop the parsley and add it. Season with turmeric, Vegeta, a little salt and pepper.
- Cut the feta cheese into small pieces, add it to your filling and let it melt briefly.
- Cover the pot with the lid (to keep the moisture in) and let it cool for about half an hour.
Roll it out!
- Preheat the oven to 220° C top/bottom heat.
- Flour your countertop a little and roll out half of the dough until it gets very thin.
- Top with about half of the spinach and feta filling, slowly roll it up long and then into a snail. You place it in the middle of the baking sheet with baking paper.
- With the other half of the dough and the remaining filling, repeat the rolling out and topping. You roll up the dough and place it around the snail on the baking sheet. (Do not wash the pot!)
Baking
- First, bake at 220° degrees for about 35 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix 50 ml of boiling water in a glass with 1 teaspoon of Vegeta and coat the pitas with half of it after the first 35 minutes of baking time.
- Turn the oven down to 180° and bake for another 25 minutes. Sprinkle especially the slightly crusty ends with the rest of the Vegeta and water mix, and let it cool. Bon appétit or as you say in Yugoslavian: Prijatno! 😉
Nutrients
Spinach, zucchini, and cheese – the lighter variant of the pita from the Balkans
Pitas are widespread in the Balkans. Especially in Serbia and Bosnia, they resemble a hearty strudel. I used vegan feta cheese, but you can also use yeast flakes as an alternative. There are hardly any limits to the fillings, and the dough always remains the same! In my recipe for the Bosnian pita with potatoes, I have included a few photos that should explain how to roll the dough out.
You can also pull the dough apart with your hands. You can feel thicker areas and stretch them with your fingers. But make sure not to make it too thin as it tends to tear when you fill it and roll it in. Here, too, practice makes perfect – I can now roll out my pita almost blindfolded! It was not always like that! 😉
I hope I whetted your appetite for baking with my recipe from one of my “homes”! I really look forward to your photos, messages, and links! And as always: Enjoy to the fullest!
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Yours, Rosa
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