Zelnik

Ingredients

• 500 g filo pastry sheets
• 800 g white cabbage, shredded
• 2 pieces onions, diced
• 200 g Bulgarian sirene, crumbled
• 3 pieces eggs
• 120 ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 60 ml sparkling water

Steps

1. 1
   Salt the shredded cabbage and leave it 20 minutes, then squeeze out the water in a cloth. Wet filling is the one thing that ruins a zelnik.
2. 2
   Soften the onion in half the oil, add the cabbage and cook 15 minutes until it collapses and turns sweet.
3. 3
   Stir in the paprika and pepper, take off the heat and cool completely — hot filling melts the filo.
4. 4
   Beat two of the eggs and fold them through the cooled cabbage with the sirene.
5. 5
   Brush a filo sheet with oil, spread a line of filling along one long edge and roll into a rope.
6. 6
   Coil the ropes into a greased round tin, working from the centre outwards.
7. 7
   Brush the top with the remaining oil and the last beaten egg, and sprinkle over the sparkling water.
8. 8
   Bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes until deep gold. Rest 15 minutes before cutting.