Mortadela Piroshki from Doma

"Drop an 'L' from the Italian mortadella and you've got the Balkan name for the fatty ham that is produced across the whole region: mortadela. Although its origins lie in Bologna, it's popular throughout the Balkans. It's salty and coats your mouth in fat that melts like butter. This means it's great for meze, served on a board with cheeses and pickles, or, for me, eaten at the kitchen counter, folded into parcels of sweet bliss. Stuffing it into deep-fried Piroshki warms it through, releasing the rich, meaty flavour into the pastry."

- Spasia Pandora Dinkovski

Interested in a deep-fried snack that translates to rich, meaty bliss? Give these mortadela piroshki a shot. You won't regret it.

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Doma

This mortadela piroshki recipe comes from Doma: Traditional Flavors and Modern Recipes from the Balkan Diaspora by Spasia Pandora Dinkovski.

The only real way to understand a culture is by studying how the people live, how they behave, and what they are eating at this very moment in time. I seek to capture a moment, a pivotal point in society where we are seriously faced with the concept of change, of the new, while finding a way to still honour the old, the elders, the ones that got us here.

I suppose I have an advantage being a kid of the diaspora; when something is right in front of you, you might become tired of it, you might spend too much time noticing it becoming uglier, unable to refocus your attention on holding on to the beauty of it.

There's a romanticism with me returning ''home'' to Macedonia when I wasn't physically born there, and my eyes and heart are wide open to all of its endless charm and my attitude is infectious. I excite those that were born there with my never-ending enthusiasm and desperate efforts to honour them, to tell their story.

A common theme that pops up in my conversations is how the concept of home - or "doma" - changes over time.

How to Make Mortadela Piroshki

Ingredients

• mortadella - good mortadella is the key to this deep-fried snack
• milk
• yeast - fast-action yeast will work for these piroshki
• sugar - we like to substitute stevia for sugar but they're delicious either way
• potatoes
• eggs - you'll need 3 eggs to dip the piroshki before you roll them in breadcrumbs, and 2 egg yolks for the dough
• salt
• pepper - freshly ground black pepper. We like Aranya black pepper ground in a molcajete
• flour - grab your favorite all-purpose flour. Ours is Jovial einkorn
• breadcrumbs - fine plain breadcrumbs, not a blend
• oil - this mortadela piroshki recipe calls for vegetable or sunflower oil, but any neutral oil will work
• lemon - lemon wedges for serving
• sauce - feta sauce is recommended for serving with mortadela piroshki, but you can also get creative

Equipment

• prep bowls
• kitchen scale
• measuring spoons
• measuring cup
• whisk
• vegetable peeler
• child-friendly knife
• utility knife
• cutting board
• spatula
• immersion blender or potato masher
• spider strainer
• small saucepan
• stock pot
• rolling pin
• silicone mat
• dough scraper
• box grater
• wok or saucepan

Heat the Milk

Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a measuring cup to measure the milk and pour it into a small saucepan. Heat the pan over low heat until the milk is lukewarm to the touch. Turn off the stove.

Do not let the milk get hot because hot milk will kill the yeast. Pour the milk into a clean bowl or jar.

Combine the Yeast, Sugar, and Milk

Use a kitchen scale to measure out the yeast needed to make mortadela piroshki. Transfer the yeast to the bowl with the warm milk. Add a pinch of sugar.

Use a whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes or until frothy.

Prep & Boil the Potatoes

While the yeast mixture sits, start on the potatoes. Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Use a child-friendly knife to cut the potatoes into cubes.

Transfer the potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Heat the pot over high heat. Boil the potatoes for about 10 to 15 minutes or until soft.

Mash the Potatoes

Drain the potatoes and use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash them. They should be completely smooth when finished. Set them aside to cool.

Pour the Yeast Mixture into the Potatoes

Pour the yeast mixture into the potatoes and use a spatula to combine.

Add the Egg Yolks, Water, Salt, & Pepper

Separate the 2 egg yolks and add them to the potato mixture. Wash your hands. Use a measuring spoon to add 1 ¼ tablespoon of lukewarm water and the salt. Add some black pepper. Stir to combine.

Gradually Add the Flour

Use a kitchen scale to measure out the flour. Gradually add the flour to the potato mixture and stir between additions. Use your hands to work the mixture until it forms a sticky dough that comes away from the dough when you pull at it. Add more flour as needed.

Let the Dough Rest for 1 Hour

Coat a medium boil with some oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let the dough rest in a warm spot in your kitchen for 1 hour.

Set Up the Breadcrumbs & Eggs on Separate Plates

Pour the breadcrumbs onto a large plate and set aside. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and pour them onto a large plate. Set the plate beside the plate with the breadcrumbs. Season them with some salt and pepper.

Create 12 Dough Balls

Roll the dough out onto a clean, lightly-floured surface. Flour your hands and a rolling pin. Use a dough scraper to divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each piece into a long sausage shape, about 2 inches thick.

Cut each sausage shape into 6 equal portions for a total of 12. Roll each piece into a ball. Oil a plate and transfer the balls to the plate. Cover with a tea towel and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Pour the Oil into the Pan

Pour enough oil into the wok or saucepan to cover half of the piroshki. Heat the pan over medium-low heat. Adjust the temperature as needed to ensure the piroshki don't brown too quickly.

Create the Mortadela Piroshki

Roll out a dough ball to the thickness of fresh pasta. Use each slice of mortadella to stuff each of the piroshkis, bunching the mortadella as you go, to create layers and leaving room around the edges.

Fold over the bottom of the dough and pinch to enclose the mortadella. Fold in each side. Roll the dough like a burrito and roll up, pinching to close. Re-mould as needed to get an even, fat cigar-shape. Be careful not to break the dough.

Repeat for each dough ball.

Dip & Roll

Check the oil: To check if the oil is ready, take a pinch of dough and drop it into the oil. If the oil is hot enough, the dough should immediately start bubbling and rise to the surface.

When the oil is ready, grab a piroshki, dip it in the egg, roll it in the breadcrumb, and gently drop it into the pan. Repeat to fill the pan, allowing space between each piroshki to turn.

Fry the Mortadela Piroshki for 3 to 4 Minutes

Fry the piroshki for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as needed to ensure they cook evenly. They will be golden-brown when finished. Turn off the stove.

Transfer Them to A Clean Towel

Use tongs or a spider strainer to remove the piroshki from the pan and transfer them to a clean tea towel or paper towel on a plate. Serve these mortadela piroshki with feta sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.