Moldova: Vertuta

Name: Moldova: Vertuta
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Moldova
Ingredients: Large eggs: 2; lukewarm water: 3/4 cup; white flour: 2 1/3 cups (360 g); olive oil: 4 Tbsps; feta: 2 cups (400 g)

Savory Cheese Strudel

Cuisine:

Moldova

70 minutes + time for dough to chill
Serves 8
Medium

Ingredients

2 Large eggs
divided
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/3 cups (360 g) white flour
plus more for dusting your surface
4 Tbsps olive oil
2 cups (400 g) feta

Directions

There are many versions of this dish, both sweet and savory. This one is filled with feta, or more traditionally a salted syr. To make this pastry, you work the dough by rolling and spinning it until it’s very thin; I found it challenging to get it as thin as intended. By rolling a double layer of dough and cheese into a log and then wrapping it into a spiral, pockets of cheese get woven through the dough. This style of pastry is also referred to as “invârtită” after a Romanian turning dance, I’m guessing due to the formation of the spiral shape of the loaf.

Invârtită shown here on a Moldovan postage stamp.

Recipe Source: Mamushka

Steps

1 Done	Beat one egg and 3/4 cup warm water together in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour, stirring the mixture well with a fork and working it into a slightly stick pastry dough. Cover with plastic wrap and cover for an hour.
2 Done	Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface until it stops sticking to your hands. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll one piece into a 12" diameter and gently stretch the edges with your hands.
3 Done	Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Flour your surface well.
4 Done	Now lift the circle and gently suspend over the pack of your hands. Keep spinning it, moving your knuckles gently, working it until it gets very thin. Don't worry about a couple holes, but stop stretching if you feel it's about to tear entirely. Once it's as thin as possible - ideally 24"-32" in diameter (so thin you can nearly read a newspaper through it) carefully place on a well-floured work surface. If edges are still a lot thicker stretch them gently. Repeat with the second circle.
5 Done	Brush first circle with olive oil. Sprinkle with half the feta. Transfer the second circle onto top of the cheese. Brush with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6 Done	Starting at the edge nearest you, roll both sheets of the pastry up together into a long sausage, keeping it an even size all the way along. Stretch it and thin it out. Cut extra dough that doesn't have cheese off and twist each end.
7 Done	Curl into a spiral, like a shell. Transfer to a parchment lined pan greased with olive oil.
8 Done	Brush generously with remaining egg. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.