The other day, I made a traditional meal from the Balkans - the pita. There's a saying in the Balkans that goes 'when you know how to make pita, you're ready for marriage'. I could discuss this saying for hours. I mean, first of all - not everything in a marriage is about food! The road to a man's heart does go through his stomach, but if he's spawn from the depths of hell, no pita can cure him and turn him into a person who is lovable and gives you love and affection.
And no, cooking is not a woman's job. There are no such things as a woman's job or a man's job. Or a girly colour or a boyish colour. These roles are assigned to things by no other than us. WE dress little girls in pink or purple, boys in blue or green, buy them action figures and dolls, sign them up to football and ballet, tell them that 'that's not the way a girls sits or walks or talks', or 'hey little one, MAN up, boys don't cry, it makes you weak, you wanna be weak?! Or 'girls don't drink, girls don't stay up or out late, girls do what they are told and stfu'. Or 'hey son, you wanna go change the tires? Your sister can call someone when she has a flat tire, but YOU, I'LL LEARN HOW TO DO IT'. That last part actually happened to me. I wanted to learn how to change tires, how to change the oil, how to fill the tires with that air machine thing - but no. I was told that I'd have to call someone to do it for me when the time came. Because I was a girl. And that wasn't a girl's job. The rage that rose inside of me is unexplainable. I wanted to be independent. I'd been listening too much to Neyo's 'Miss Independent' haha. But back to the point - there are NO SUCH THINGS AS A MAN'S JOB OR A WOMAN'S JOB! A woman's place is not in the kitchen making sandwiches wearing nothing but a kitchen apron. A man's job is not to fix the house or car wearing nothing but jeans. And maybe a wet, white T-shirt. Or boxers. Anyway. If someone wants to fix the kitchen sink or change the light bulb or make the most delicious burger there ever was - do it. Maybe some people will laugh. Let them. B*tches be jealous.
And no, being able to make pita doesn't automatically make you a good, decent human being who waters the plants and feeds the poor and forgives the ones who hurt people just for the fun of it. Being able to make food, makes you creative (if you whip up your own dishes) or literate (as you've proven that you can read a recipe) or capable of solving easy problems (as you had a problem [being hungry] and you came up with a solution [make food]).
There are many more things that are more important in life, and in marriage as well, besides being able to make delicious meals. Following a recipe is easy. You get the ingredients, measure them all up, you throw them in a bowl and baam - you're no longer hungry.
But having empathy, sympathy, compassion, being thoughtful and understanding, helping family, friends, neighbours, strangers in both tough and good times, that is important af. Being there for people - really being there is one of the things that makes someone good. Really listening to people when they talk - and not just waiting for them to finish the sentence so that you can talk. Listening to their tone when they answer to (one of, or) the most asked question 'how are you'. Sit there and take the time to listen. Don't be afraid or run away like Usain Bolt when someone answers that they're in fact not ok. You never know the difference you can make in someone's life. For good or for bad, but hopefully for good.
And one more thing - at the end of life, when your grandchildren or other people ask you what you did in life, how would you like the answer to be? Will you be the one listing up every time you were the first one to get the newest phone, or laptop, or car? Or will you be the one who proudly says that they helped build an orphanage or shelter for homeless people, or who contributed to planting a triple-x amount of trees, how people came to you for advice, how you changed someone's life for the better? (and yes, this was a leading question)
And on and on and on. Enough about that. I've kept that in for a long time. But it's out now.
Anyway, pita refers to all the different kinds of pita, like burek, krompirusa or krompiraca, zeljanica etc. In this post, I'll mention two different kinds - one with potatoes and onion (krompirusa; krompir meaning potato) and one with spinach and feta (zeljanica; zelje meaning greens, rabbit food).
There are several ways to make pita.
- One way is with an oily dough, the other with a floury dough.
- Then, one way is mainly based on using a rolling pin, the other isn't.
- When it comes to the actual forming of the pita, one way is solely based on layered dough sheets with stuffing in between, the other way is similar to that of stuffed, long af canollis, then rolled and rolled until it looks like a snail shell.
I won't lie to you - this recipe takes a lot of time.
And patience.
And arm and leg muscles.
And more patience.
And it requires proper preparation. Proper preparation is the key to this delicious dish. One of them at least.
It also requires a humid room, but not too humid as it will destroy the pita.
It requires a room without ventilation, as ventilation will destroy the pita. By ventilation I mean an inside wind (as I really couldn't find the English word for it).
And the dish itself isn't without requirements, as it requires you to restrain yourself from eating everything at once haha
THE STUFFING
Krompirusa (potatoes and onion)
Zeljanica (spinach and feta)
THE PROCESS
STEP 1:
Get the finest all-purpose flour you can find. This one is also the whitest flour I've ever seen. I like to treat myself every so often, as no spelt flour or whole wheat flour when I make pita
STEP 2:
Combine the ingredients, knead the dough, divide into 3 equal parts, roll 'em up, cover them with a bit cooking oil, place them in a cooking oil-covered cooking tray covered with a plastic sheet or just another cooking tray, and leave them be for about 3-4 hours. Knead the balls of dough from time to time
STEP 3:
Pour some flour on a huge af table, place one ball of dough on top, add some more flour, use a rolling pin the size of a small curtain rod (I did that once, beautiful replacement), and roll out the dough into a circle (30ish cm in diameter)
STEP 4:
Tricky part 1.0. Sprinkle some more flour on the flattened dough, and then roll the dough around the rolling pin, all the way to the top. Use your hands and press slightly, from the middle and towards the ends, while rolling, rolling, rolling. Unroll it. Turn the dough about 15-20 cm to the left (or right, I don't care) and repeat. Do that until you've covered the entire circle
Tricky part 2.0. Place the rolling pin in the middle of the skinny dough circle, throw one half over the rolling pin, lift it up, and using one hand, gently stretch out the dough from beneath. Gently. And softly. If the dough cracks open, don't panic. As my mom says, 'no one's ever seen a pita with a hole in it'
The quality in this picture is bad as I was alone and had to screenshot the video I made of me doing this. It was one of the most awkward moments in my life
STEP 6: Throw the dough on a bed sheet, stretch it some more, try making a rectangle. Then, sprinkle some liquid fat over the skinny dough and cut it in rectangular pieces. Fold the ends inward and one of the longer sides. That's where you'll be placing the stuffing
STEP 7: Roll it up. And repeat. Place the pitas ona baking tray - either brushed lightly with cooking oil or on a piece of baking paper. Brush each snail shell with the liquid fat of your choice (but not coconut oil tho) and place the tray in the oven for 10 min at 250 ˚C, then lower the temprature to 200 ˚C (with the pita still in the oven) and bake for another 20ish minutes
Servings: 18 pieces. But could be more depending on the gluten development in your dough balls
Time: several hours (3-4 hours for the dough to rest, then a couple of hours making the pita, then 30 min in the oven for each cooking tray)
Ingredients
6 1/2 dl all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 dl lukewarm water
1/2 dl cooking oil
75 g butter
1/2 dl cooking oil
| Krompirusa | Zeljanica |
|---|---|
| 4 potatoes | 400 g fresh spinach leaves |
| 2 yellow onions | 1 1/2 dl sour cream |
| salt & pepper | 250 g feta cheese |
Instructions
- Make the dough beforehand and let it rest for 3-4 hours
- Make the stuffing. For the krompirusa, peel the potatoes and cut them up in small cubes. Chop the onions in tiny pieces and throw them in a strainer in a bowl. Spice it up, mix it well and let the water trinkle down. For the zeljanica, chop the spinach leaves and stir in the sour cream and feta cheese
- Melt the better, add the cooking oil and set aside
- Follow the process stated above
- As stated above, brush the snail shells with the liquid fat of your choice. I used butter and cooking oil, but if you're a vegan, use vegan butter instead
- As also stated above, bake the pita for 10 min at 250 ˚C for that crispy crust, then lower the temprature to 200 ˚C for the remaining 20ish min
Tips, Tricks etc
- Be patient. Your first try might be a failure. Or it may not. But never give up
- You can also make pita with feta cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese (look it up, I don't know any other names for this kind of cheese)
Enjoy.
Did you know?
Pita is known for its abilites to bring joy to the household.
If you have any questions, ask away. If you make this and it gives you as much joy as it gives me, let me know :)
Which is better - using up all your energy proving that you're right or being at peace?