Traditional Serbian Gibanica — Layered Cheese Pie of Serbian Cuisine

INGREDIENTS (for a ~30 cm pan, 8 servings): 500 g ready-made filo pastry sheets for pie; 500 g white cheese (feta or cow’s cheese); 4 eggs; 200 ml yogurt (or milk); 100 ml oil (or 80 g melted butter); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp baking powder (optional).

METHOD: Heat the oven to 200°C and grease the pan with a little oil. Crumble the cheese with a fork in a large bowl. Beat the eggs with the yogurt, oil, salt, and baking powder; add the crumbled cheese and mix well. Place 2–3 sheets at the bottom of the pan, brushing with a little oil, and spread part of the cheese filling. Repeat the sheet–filling layers until the ingredients run out; finish with 2–3 sheets on top. Cut the pie into squares before baking and brush the surface with a little of the egg mixture. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the surface turns golden. Let it cool for 10 minutes and serve warm, with yogurt if you like. Prep time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8.