Kossovan Flija (Baked Vegetables in Cheese Sauce) is a traditional Kosovan recipe for a classic layered pancake of pancake batter and yoghurt baked in a oven (though traditionally cooked over hot coals). The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Kosovan version of: Kossovan Flija (Kosovar Flija).
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
Ingredients:
250g plain (all-purpose) flour
1l plain yogurt (or a combination of yogurt and water)
120ml melted butter
Salt, to taste
Method:
Begin by preparing the Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and a pinch of salt. Gradually add water while mixing to create a smooth batter. The batter should be thin, similar to the consistency of crêpé batter.
Now Prepare the Yoghurt Mixture: In another bowl, mix the yoghurt (or a mixture of yogurt and water) with a pinch of salt.
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Brush a round oven-safe baking dish with melted butter to prevent sticking.
Pour a thin layer of the batter into the dish and spread it into a sun shape, in a similar manner to making a crepe. You should have a circle in the middle and then empty areas every 5cm. It should look a bit like a sun with rays. This will be your first layer.
Spread a thin layer of the yoghurt mixture over the cooked batter.
Repeat the process, alternating between layers of batter and yogurt until you have around 10 layers or more. Let each layer cook briefly before adding the next one. Basically, you put batter, into the oven, then yogurt, then more batter, back into the oven over and over again.
Cover the baking dish with kitchen foil to prevent excessive browning.
Place the covered dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 60 to 90 minutes. The flija should be cooked through, and the top layer should become golden and crispy.
Traditionally the dish is cooked in a cooking vessel called a Sac, which is a round baking dish which you wet over charcol. It has a lid that's lager than the base so the charcoal flavours are directed to your flija.
To approximate the cooking effect or using a sac, leave the flija in the oven until it gets crusty and then remove, or cook and then blast it with the broiler before taking out, so you can get that crusty, almost burnt pancake throughout.
To serve: Carefully remove the flija from the oven, cut it into portions like a pie, and serve while still warm. You can serve it with honey, or more traditionally with pickled vegetables and fresh cheese.
)
Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.