Vegan Gibanica (Serbian Cheese Pie)

Anastasia

4 years ago

Before starting the experiment with this vegan Gibanica, I couldn’t even imagine that it will turn out so good! I tried to transform tofu into cheese many times before, but it was never so impressive.

It takes only few simple ingredients and a little bit of classic vegan cheese seasoning to make this gorgeous pie. Layers of delicate filo pastry, filled with the most delicious vegan soft cheese, make this vegan Gibanica absolutely irresistible.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously grease a baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

Process soaked cashews, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, salt, vinegar and still water in a blender until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl combine tofu and cashew mixture. Mash the tofu with a fork or potato masher. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Now add caraway seeds and sparkling water. Stir to combine.

Unfold the filo dough and cover it with damp kitchen towel. Keep some water on a side to sprinkle over filo sheets. It is very important not to let your filo dough dry out and get crumbly.

There are several ways to put together vegan Gibanica. I’m gonna show you a fun and easy way.

Depending on a size of your baking dish, place 1 or 2 filo sheets on a bottom of it. Sprinkle with water and brush with a little bit of olive oil.

Then take one filo sheet and crumple it as a piece of paper. Dip it into the tofu mixture, making sure that it soaked up the liquid and the stuffing got stuck inside. Place the ball inside the baking dish and repeat the process. Put the filo balls tightly next to each other until there’s no more space. I used 8 crumpled sheets.

If you got some tofu mixture left, spread it around, filling up any holes. Cover with another filo sheet and tuck the sides in. Brush it generously with oil and sprinkle some caraway seeds and water on top.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Vegan Gibanica (Serbian Cheese Pie)

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Vegan Gibanica – Serbian cheese pie made with filo pastry and delicious tofu filling.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8
Category: Appetizer, Breakfast
Cuisine: Serbian

Ingredients

1 package of filo dough (defrosted)
1/2 C raw cashews (soaked for 4-6 hours or overnight)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch
1-1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 C water
450g firm or medium tofu (1lb, drained)
1 C sparkling water
1 tsp caraway seeds + more for sprinkling
2-3 tbsp olive oil for brushing

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously grease a baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
Process soaked cashews, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, salt, vinegar and still water in a blender until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl combine tofu and cashew mixture. Mash the tofu with a fork or potato masher. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Now add caraway seeds and sparkling water. Stir to combine.
Unfold the filo dough and cover it with damp kitchen towel. Keep some water on a side to sprinkle over filo sheets. It is very important not to let your filo dough dry out and get crumbly.
Depending on a size of your baking dish, place 1 or 2 filo sheets on a bottom of it. Sprinkle with water and brush with a little bit of olive oil.
Then take one filo sheet and crumple it as a piece of paper. Dip it into the tofu mixture, making sure that it soaked up the liquid and the stuffing got stuck inside. Place the ball inside the baking dish and repeat the process. Put the filo balls tightly next to each other until there’s no more space. I used 8 crumpled sheets.
If you got some tofu mixture left, spread it around, filling up any holes. Cover with another filo sheet and tuck the sides in. Brush it generously with oil and sprinkle some caraway seeds and water on top.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.