Croatian Cheese Strukli Recipes

ZAGORSKI ŠTRUKLI RECIPE (ZAGORJE CHEESE STRUKLI)

Steps:

• Make the dough: mix together the flour and salt and then pour in warm water, vinegar, and oil. Knead the dough with hands until it's smooth-it should be smooth and elastic, not too soft and sticky. Brush the dough with oil and cover and place in a warm spot for 30 minutes
• Prepare the filling: Mix together the fresh cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper
• Take a clean tablecloth and dust with some flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until thin and then begin stretching it with your palms and tip of your fingers. Stretch it from the middle until you make it very thin, almost that you can see through it. Cut out thick edges
• Sprinkle the dough with melted butter. Put the filling over the one side of the dough. Roll it, using the tablecloth
• Using your hands, separate the dough into equal parts and cut them with a plate. Cutting with a plate is a great way to firmly seal the edges and ensure the filling doesn't pour out
• Cook the strukli in heated and salted water for around 2-3 minutes until they float to the top. (Just like gnocchi)
• You can serve the strukli when cooked in the salted water - though there are also a few other ways of serving them. One way is to bake the strukli covered with sour cream for 15 minutes on 200C, alternately heat a little butter in a pan with some breadcrumbs and add the strukli to the pan for a minute just enough time to coat them with buttery crumbs

STRUKLJI

Steps:

• To make the dough, place the hot water in a small bowl and add the butter to the water to melt. With a fork, blend in the egg and salt.
• Place the flour in a separate mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in the liquid mixture. Blend and knead until the resulting dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and allow to rest in a draft-free place for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling by melting the butter in an 8-inch saucepan and browning the bread crumbs in it. Remove from the heat, add the eggs and stir until they have completely scrambled.
• Combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, parsley and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the egg mixture and mix well.
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured board into a rectangle about 12 inches by 18 inches. Spread the filling over the dough and roll it, starting at its long side, into a tight roll, much like a jellyroll.
• Place the roll on a clean white cloth or a double thickness of cheesecloth large enough to cover it. Wrap the roll in the cloth and tie the ends with string, sausage fashion.
• Coil the roll into a circle and drop it into a large pot of boiling salted water. Simmer for 40 minutes, then carefully lift it from the pot. Unwrap the roll and keep it warm.
• For the topping, saute bread crumbs in butter until golden brown. Slice the struklji into pieces 2 inches thick and top with the buttered crumbs.