This year, I decided to expand the Slovenian holiday offerings. First, I tried out two new cookie recipes. Then I took a bolder step: I came up with a new filling variation for our traditional potica.
A week or so before Christmas, I made some tasty domači prijatelj (domestic friends), the Slovenian take on biscotti. Last week, I tried out an unusual chocolate/buckwheat cookie called ajdovčki (buckwheat thumbprints). They looked pretty, as you can see from the photo, but the taste was definitely odd. (The recipe follows in the next post, so you can decide for yourself!)
Three days ago, I made the Christmas potica. For two of the loaves, I stuck with my family's traditional walnut-honey filling. Then I got creative.
I had a moment of inspiration: Instead of honey, why not try the honey-tahini spread from Kosovo our journalist son had brought us last Christmas? I quickly dismissed it as a little too off-beat. But then he made the identical suggestion. Suddenly, it seemed like a great idea: Slovenian potica with the flavor of Kosovo.
That Kosovo potica was the first loaf we cut into. It was delicious, with a subtle but haunting flavor from the tahini. I had made a special effort to roll the dough extra-thin this year, so the potica looked better than ever, as you can see from the photos below.
These photos were taken by our older son, a photojournalist in New York. So this Kosovo potica really was a family affair.
From our kitchen to yours: Merry Christmas! Vesel božič! Gëzuar Krishtlindjet!
