MALA KUHNA: Traditional žlikrofi with a modern twist

Slovenia is famous for its natural beauties, diverse landscapes, cultural heritage and the endless love we share for potatoes. In addition to our traditional Sunday meal, which we call – depending on the region, »restan«, »tenstan« or »pražen krompir«, we have another very special potato dish, written in our booklet with traditional recipes. The relative of the previously mentioned »pražen krompir« which is kinda like a sort of fried potato, originates from Idrija and is known as žlikrof.

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So who or what is a žlikrof!?

Idrijski žlikrof is a well-known culinary speciality prepared from noodle dough with potato filling and a characteristic shape. The exact origin of the dish is uknown due to the lack of historical sources, but the traditional recipe and preparation were described in the middle of the 19th century.

Idrijski žlikrof is the first Slovenian dish that was protected at the level od the Europen Union as a TSG or »traditional speciality guaranteed«.

The recipe and the method of preparation are protected, so producers and restourants wishing to offer the dish under the name Idrijski Žlikrof must be certified, but the production is not geographically limited.

So, in order to not upset anyone, we won't call our žlikrofi »idrijski žlikrofi« but just ... žlikrofi 😉 And we'll focus on the recipe in 3...2...1...

Žlikrofi with potato filling

To prepare the dough for two serving of žlikrofi, you'll need:
- 100g of white flour
- 1 egg
- Oil
- Salt
- Water or milk

For the filling you'll need:
- 150g of potatoes
- 15g of pork crackling fat
- 15g of onion
- Chives
- Black pepper
- Marjoram

Mix together flour, an egg, a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of water and knead so long that the dough wil no longer stick to your hands. The dough should be flexible and just slightly sticky to the touch. If it is cut, however, it must be free of air bubbles. When the dough is ready, wrap it tightly in and let it rest in a cold place for at least half an hour.

While the dough rests, you can prepare the filing.

Place the unpeeled potatoes in cold water and bring to a slow boil. Cook approx. 25 minutes or so long that the potatoes are completely cooked. You can easily check this with a knife – if it goes easily through a potato, it is definitely cooked. When the potatoes are done, drain them and let them rest for a while so that they cool down just enoudh that you can peel them. Meanwhile, you can fry the finely chopped onion in the crackling fat. When the potatoes are sufficiently cooled, but stil warm, mash them well and add the fried onions, finely chopped chives, majora and salt and papper to taste.

Shape the potatoe mixture into tiny balls. To make this easier, you can help yourself with oil or water.

Roll out the rested dough very thinly, place the small potato balls on it (there should be one finger of space between them), roll the dough around them and squeeze well so the mixture won't wscape while cooking. Trimm the dough around the žlikrofi, then lightly press with your finger to get them into the characteristic shape. For the exact procedure, watch the attached video!

Cook the prepared žlikrofi in salted boiling water until they float to the surface.

Žlikrofi can be served as a stand-alone dish, topped with cracklings or as a side dish with various sauces.

We prepared them with a modern twist and served them with lamb shanks braised in a sweet wine and shallot sauce and with a creamy cucumber and pork crackling sauce.

If you want to find out more on how we prepared the sauces, don't forget to follow us on our instagram profile where we'll soon publish the recipe for braised lamb shanks & creamy cucumber sauce, served with traditional žlikrofi 😉

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