Country Info | Food and Drinks | Recipes for Traditional Food in Slovenia | Buckwheat Zganci

Ajdovi "Zganci, see character set, pronounce as: zhgun-tzee

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb buckwheat flour
• 3/4 l salted boiling water
• a few tablespoons of lard with cracklings (garnish)

Roast the buckwheat flour (according to the Koro"ska style) in an ungreased iron pan until the aroma appears, stirring constantly. Pour the salted boiling water over the flour and continue stirring until small zganci begin to form. Cover the pan and place over very light heat for ten minutes so that flour swells. Brown cracklings in lard and use to garnish zganci.

Another way to prepare zganci is the following: Pour buckwheat flour into salted boiling water, and after boiling five to ten minutes, make a hole in the pile of flour with the handle of a wooden spoon so that the pile cooks from the inside as well. Continue boiling for another 15 minutes. Pour off half the liquid and save. If you wish small zganci, stir with two-pronged fork and garnish in the pot. For softer zganci (in the Styrian ("Stajerska) style), add some of the saved liquid and stir with a long wooden spoon until smooth. Scrape zganci from spoon with a fork into a bowl and garnish to taste.