Romanian chefs revive traditional vărzar with spinach and classic turte

A modern take on the traditional Romanian vărzar pastry replaces the usual filling with a mixture of fresh or frozen spinach and cheese. The dough is made from flour, warm water, fresh yeast, oil and salt, kneaded, left to rise for about an hour, then rolled into two sheets. The spinach‑cheese blend, seasoned with salt, pepper, eggs and optional sour cream, is spread between the sheets and baked at 180 °C for 35‑40 minutes until golden.

The same sources also detail a classic recipe for turte, a stovetop flatbread popular across Romania. The dough combines flour, warm water, yeast (or a bicarbonate‑yogurt substitute), salt and oil, kneaded and allowed to double in size. After dividing and flattening, each piece is cooked on a hot, dry griddle or heavy pan for 2‑3 minutes per side until lightly browned and puffed. Turte are traditionally brushed with butter or lard and served with soups, stews, honey or jam.