‘Plăcinte’ – Moldovan Pie

Moldovan pies stand in second position in terms of traditional Moldovan cuisine. Pies, unlike mămăliga, are still popular among teenagers. Moldovan pies are still prepared at home, but there are a plethora of pie shops and restaurants, as well as various delivery services. You should try a couple different types of pies. For a savory taste, try the cheese pies, cabbage pies, and potato pies. If you have a sweet tooth, try the cherry pies, apple pies, and pumpkin pies.

Ingredients

• 500 g/ 1.1 lbs/ 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 sachet instant dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 250 ml/ 8.4 fl.oz/ 1 cup lukewarm water, 350 g/ 12.3 oz feta cheese preferably sheep's feta, 3 green onions, 1 small bunch dill, fine sea salt and pepper, a little oil for frying

Instructions

• Yeast dough:
  
• In a large bowl mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
  
• Slowly start adding the lukewarm water, mixing with a spoon until the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it stops sticking too much to the walls of the bowl, flouring your hands from time to time if necessary.
• Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Alternatively, you can prepare the yeast dough in a food processor using the appropriate kneading accessories.
• Filling:
• Crumble the feta cheese finely, but don't turn it to a paste, it is enough if you use a fork to crumble it.
• Chop the scallions and the dill very finely.
• Mix everything together and adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
• Shape the pies:
• Knead the risen dough very shortly to bring it in shape again. Divide it into 10 parts and form 10 balls. Roll each ball into a thin circle.
• Place some filling in the middle of the circle and form a pocket by bringing together all the sides of the circle and pressing lightly to seal the pocket.
• Roll the pocket again to make it flat. (See pictures above)
• Place the pies on a piece of baking paper and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Fry:
• Heat a large non-stick pan. Brush it or spray it with a little oil and fry the pies about 2-3 minutes on each side.
• You will have to work in two or three batches. Keep the finished pies warm in the lightly heated oven. Serve immediately.