Tirit is a traditional Bosnian dish that can be served as an appetizer, but also as a lunch or dinner entree. It shouts of home and hearth, and while I wouldn't call it delicious, it's amply satisfying. All my guests enjoyed it.

I modified the original recipe slightly. I couldn't find a parsley root, so I skipped it. Some recipes skip it entirely.

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Tirit

Ingredients

• 1 4lb chicken
• water
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 parsnip, shredded
• 1/2 cup oil or butter
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped
• 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 package phyllo dough
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk.

Instructions

Wash the chicken inside and out. Put in a large cooking pot, fill with water and add shredded carrots and parsnip, season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about an hour. Remove the chicken from the broth, filter the broth and keep for other uses. Discard vegetables.

Let the chicken cool down and then remove meat from the bones, making sure the meat remains in large pices. Put chicken in a bowl and discard bones and skin.

Meanwhile, heat some oil and fry the green onions until soft. Add the onions and chopped parsley to the chicken and season with more salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 350F .

Oil a large, deep baking pan and place 10 layers of phyllo dough, brushing each one with oil or melted butter. Put the chicken on the phyllo, level and cover with 10 layers of dough, brushing each one with oil or butter.

Mix the sour cream with the milk and pour it over the pie.

Bake the pie for about 45 to 50 minutes. When done sprinkle with water, cover and let stand for a while. Serve warm.

Adapted from The Balkan Cookbook