Mesnik with Pork Shank and Wild Mushrooms
A traditional Bulgarian recipe from chef Shishkov. The traditional mesnik was made from baked filo sheets sprinkled with the water from boiling a pig's head, with pieces of meat laid on each sheet. In the Sofia region this dish was served for St. Basil's Day (New Year).
Ingredients
| 800 g | white flour | |
| 100 ml | milk | |
| 100 ml | lukewarm water | |
| 3 | eggs | |
| 1 | egg yolk | |
| 300 g | full-fat yogurt | |
| 40 g | yeast | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | salt |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | sugar |
| 50 g | butter | |
| 20 ml | oil | |
| 1 (about 1.3 kg) | pork shank | |
| 250 g | wild mushrooms | |
| 1 | onion | |
| 1 | garlic | |
| 125 g | butter |
Instructions
- To prepare the dough, sift the flour and add the yeast with a little water, salt and sugar. Make a starter in the flour, then add the three eggs, the fresh and the yogurt and the water. During kneading add butter and oil, and more flour if needed. Brush the finished dough with oil, cover tightly with cling film and leave to rise for about an hour in an oven preheated to 50°C.
- From the risen dough shape balls for a large loaf (pitka), arrange them in a greased round tray and let them prove briefly in the oven. Bake the loaf, raise the oven to 180°C and bake for 35–40 minutes. When the loaf takes on a light crust, brush it with 50 g butter beaten with an egg yolk. Return it to finish baking.
- For the filling, put the pork shank in a tray with the onion and garlic, add a little water and bake under aluminium foil for at least 2 hours in an oven preheated to 180°C. Then bone and shred the meat and put it together with the mushrooms, the remaining butter and the sauce from the roasting into a pot. Return it to the oven until the mushrooms are done, so the excess water evaporates.
- Once the baked loaf has cooled, hollow out the middle top layer. Fill it with the filling and moisten with a little of the sauce. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Makes 8 servings. Time: 4 h. Difficulty: 4/5.