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Pispili
Pispili: Albanian cornbread baked over spinach, leeks and white cheese
When the spring greens come up in southern Albania, around Korçë and down towards Gjirokastër, households bake pispili in a round tray: a coarse cornmeal batter spread over a thick bed of spinach, leeks, dill and crumbled white cheese, then baked until the top is cracked and golden. Neither bread nor quite a pie, it is cut into diamonds and eaten warm or at room temperature, often with a bowl of yogurt, olives and spring onions for a simple lunch. Albanian white cheese and most feta are made with animal rennet, so check the label or use a vegetarian feta-style cheese. The usual slip is leaving the greens wet: squeeze them hard, or the bottom layer steams into a soggy paste under the cornmeal. Chef's tip: drag a fork across the batter before it goes in the oven and drizzle oil into the grooves; that gives the rough, crackly crust pispili is loved for.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the greens
- 1 ⅛ lb spinach or Swiss chardwashed
- 7 tbsp olive oildivided
- 2 leekswhite and pale green parts, thinly sliced
- 4 spring onionschopped
- ½ oz fresh dillchopped
- ½ oz flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 7 oz vegetarian feta-style white cheesecrumbled
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the cornmeal batter
- 10 ½ oz fine cornmeal (polenta)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups boiling water
- 5 ½ oz plain yogurt
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Brush a 28 cm round tin or a 30 × 20 cm baking dish with a little of the 1 tbsp olive oil.
10 minStep 2: Put the 1 ⅛ lb spinach or Swiss chard in a large pan with a splash of water over a medium heat and stir for 3 minutes, until just collapsed. Tip into a sieve, cool for a few minutes, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can and chop.
8 minStep 3: Heat another portion of the 2 ⅛ tbsp olive oil in the pan over a medium heat and fry the 2 leeks and 4 spring onions for 8 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned.
8 minStep 4: Mix the spinach, leeks, ½ oz fresh dill, ½ oz flat-leaf parsley, 7 oz vegetarian feta-style white cheese and ½ tsp black pepper in a bowl and spread evenly over the base of the tin.
3 minStep 5: Stir the 10 ½ oz fine cornmeal (polenta) and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, pour in the 1 ¾ cups boiling water while whisking, and leave for 5 minutes to swell. Stir in the 5 ½ oz plain yogurt and some of the 2 ⅛ tbsp olive oil; the batter should be thick and spreadable, like stiff porridge.
6 minStep 6: Spoon the batter over the greens and spread it to a layer about 1 cm thick with a wet spatula. Drag a fork across it to make ridges and drizzle over the rest of the 1 ¾ tbsp olive oil.
3 minStep 7: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until deep golden, crackly on top and pulling away from the sides of the tin.
38 minStep 8: Rest for 10 minutes so the layers firm up, then cut into diamonds or squares.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pispili take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of leeks?
- 1 onion per leek.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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