looking for recipe
heat...@cdc.caltech.edu
gibinitza. could anyone send me their families' recipe?
Hvala,
Heather Petkovic
Vojin Janjic
Hi Heather
you've butchered a word only slightly. It's charming anyway, since
it's so rarely used by a native English speaking person :-)
As you have anticipated, there will be many variations of gibanica
recipe - probably one per household. I'll check some cookbooks to see
if they will offer significant variations from mine and repost if
necessary.
The most important constituent that I still can't really find around
here (south US - surprise, surprise ;-) is *debele kore* - thick
phyllo dough. These could be found in northeastern US (lots if
immigrants - lots of yummy goodies).
Real gibanica should be made only with thick phyllo dough. I have
used thin ones, and it still tastes *great*, but it is more in line of
'pita' (like 'spanakopita' - not like American 'apple pie'). when I
say *thin*, I'm thinking about dough usually used for baklava etc.
Thick is, ahem, thicker ;-)
Anyway, here's a recipe off the top of my head. I usually cook 'by a
feel' i.e. w/o exact weight or volume measurements (isn't that right
Natasha? :-). Therefore, do not follow *strictly* the suggested
volumes - use common sense and experience (hope you have some around
kitchen :-)
Take one package of phyllo dough. Follow ALL thawing procedures on
the package (important, or sheets will stick or crumble - major pain
in the a..)
Mix approx. 2 cups of feta cheese, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of
Ricotta cheese, dash of oil, couple of tablespoons of sparkling
mineral water, and salt to taste.
Separate 2 eggs. Mix yolks with cheeses. If a mixture is WAAAY too
thick, add some milk.
Whip egg whites until firm. Mix in GENTLY with the cheeses. This
will make your gibanica puffy. If you are in a hurry or lazy, you can
cheat by not whipping eggs, but adding some baking powder instead -
not recommended.
Grease (generously!) a casserole dish. Which size? Hmmm - beats me
- let's say 16 by 12 inches... Serpa - sorry, don't know the word -
would be the best, but casserole dish will do. Although shape is
irrelevant, 'real' gibanica is usually round.
Place 4-5 sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom. Let the oversized
sheet of phyllo dough hang out from the dish - couple of inches, not
more.
Take one sheet of remaining phyllo dough at the time and dip it into
the cheese/egg mixture. Fill up casserole dish with dough sheets
dipped this way. If you have leftover fill, pour it inside (it's
never enough of that juicy fill :-)
Cover gibanica with 4-5 sheets of dough which should be cut to shape
of the dish. Fold the extra dough from the bottom over the top.
Now, take 2-3 additional sheets of phyllo dough and just place it on
top of gibanica. These will be wasted, almost burned by the time giba
(diminutive :-) is cooked. If you don't have any left, use aluminum
foil. This is VERY important, since it will prevent the top to be
overcooked. If gibanica is basically done, but the top is not golden
brown, remove protective sheet for 5 or so minutes at the end of
cooking.
Now the temperature - well, you got me there - try 400 F for about 45
minutes. But, don't trust me blindly on this one - use your common
sense again. It is hard to overcook gibanica, if it's greasy enough
and with that protective phyllo dough on top.
If you used serpa, you should serve gibanica by turning it upside down
on a plate. The bottom should be really crunchy, greasy and *golden
brown*. If it's light, send it back in! Do not cut it while it's
still blazing hot - let it sit for a while. If you cooked it in
casserole dish, do not turn it upside down - just cut and serve.
Good beer is a must with gibanica (try Bass or Sam Adams Double Bock -
mmmm).
Prijatno
Vojin