Zagorski štrukli

The story

Zagorski štrukli are the cheese pastry of Zagorje, and Croatian recipe sites file them both under zagorska kuhinja, Zagorje cooking, and among the national classics. The dough is plain: flour, water, a little oil and salt, rested and then stretched by hand over a floured tablecloth until it is thin enough to see through. One Index Recepti version pulls 250 grams of flour out to about 100 by 60 centimeters. Fresh cheese, svježi sir, beaten with eggs and sour cream is spread along one edge, the sheet is rolled up with the help of the cloth, and the roll is cut with the rim of a plate, which pinches the ends shut so the filling stays inside. From there the štrukli are either boiled in salted water and topped with fried breadcrumbs, or boiled briefly and baked with cream until blistered. The Samobor town cookbook records a third way, štrukli cooked in soup, eaten there as supper or an afternoon snack, and cooked in the surrounding villages for those working in the fields. In Zagreb the restaurant La Štruk has built its whole menu around the dish. Serve baked štrukli as a main course after a clear soup, or cut smaller pieces for a starter.