Festive recipe: Koulibiac (from Memmisj)
Jews live scattered all over the world, each with their own dishes. To illustrate this, cookbook author Jonah Freud takes an in-depth look at Jewish cuisine around the world in her new book Memmisj. We are fans of this beautiful book in the editorial office and are more than happy to share this recipe for puff pastry filled pie, or koulibiac.
Jonah: “Koulibiac is an originally Russian festive dish in which a rice mixture is wrapped in pastry. It can be made with chicken and fish, but this is a vegetarian version that gets a more Georgian twist for me through the use of lots of dill and chives. I often use ready-made shortcrust pastry that I bring back from a French supermarket, but making it yourself is actually even more delicious.”
How to make koulibiac
- Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- Then add the remaining dough ingredients and mix everything well until you have a smooth ball of dough. (Keep a little egg yolk aside to brush the top of the koulibiac with later.) Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a warm, damp tea towel. Leave the dough to rise for 1 hour.
- Mix all the filling ingredients well until you have a cohesive dough. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.
- Roll each piece out on a floured work surface into a sheet measuring 20–25 centimetres.
- Spread the filling over 1 of the sheets of dough, leaving a border of at least 3 centimetres all around. Place the 2nd sheet of dough on top and press the edges of the bottom and top sheets of dough firmly together. Fold the edge over once more so that the filling is completely sealed in.
- Leave the koulibiac to rest on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Then brush the top with the reserved egg yolk.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- Bake the koulibiac in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, until the top is shiny and golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the yoghurt sauce by mixing the yoghurt with the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the koulibiac.
Title: Memmisj
Author: Jonah Freud
Price: €35
Publisher: Carrera Culinair
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