Romanian Apple and Blueberry Swirl Pie (Invartita)

Apple and blueberry is such a classic combination, there’s no wonder it’s popular in so many countries around the world. This Romanian Apple and Blueberry Swirl Pie (Invartita) recipe from Irina Georgescu’s cookbook, Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania wraps an apple and blueberry filling in an egg-enriched dough that is rolled up and formed into a spiral. Once baked, it’s brushed with a syrup glaze and served warm.

In the last couple of days, we have shared two recipes from Carpathia; the first for Stuffed Courgette Soup With Soured Cream, and the second for Romanian Soured Cream Meat Sausages (Mici Little).

Read our review of Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania to learn more about Romanian cuisine.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Romanian Apple and Blueberry Swirl Pie (Invartita)

How wonderful to name a cake after a traditional Romanian dance, învârtită. Couples put their arms on each others shoulders and spin around elegantly, women swirling their beautiful pleated skirts and marking the pace with a quick stomp. It is part of village life at celebrations or on Sundays after church, when people love to play music, dance and eat good food. This pie can be made with a savoury or sweet filling, but I am biased towards the fruity sort – juicy and just a bit indulgent.

Servings 6

Author Irina Georgescu

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 250 g (9 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10 ml (½ fl oz) vegetable or sunflower oil
• 1 egg
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) milk

For the filling:

• 200 g (7 oz) apple, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• Splash of lemon juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon

To assemble:

• 60 g (2½ oz) butter, melted
• 75 g (3 oz) ground almonds
• 100 g (3½ oz) blueberries

For the syrup:

• 50 g (2 oz) caster sugar
• 50 ml (2 fl oz) water

Instructions

• To make the dough, mix the ingredients together and knead for about 10 minutes. The whole process of making this pie is quite tactile, so I like to knead the dough by hand and feel its texture turning smooth and springy. Refrigerate the dough while you make the filling.
• To make the filling, put the apple, sugar and lemon juice into a pan over a low heat and cook gently until the apple is soft but not mashed. Add the cinnamon and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Grease and line a 23cm (9in) cake tin, springform tin or non-stick baking tray.
• Place a clean linen tea towel measuring about 65 x 50cm (25 ½ x 20in) on the kitchen table, with one of the long edges closest to you. Dust the tea towel generously with flour and place the dough in the centre. Using a floured rolling pin roll the dough until it is very thin, perhaps 2–3mm (⅛in), and covering the tea towel (you may need to use your fingers to stretch it to the edges).
• Brush the dough with 30g (1 ¼ oz) of the melted butter, then sprinkle over the ground almonds evenly. Spread the apple filling onto the dough, then dot with the blueberries. Grab the edge of the tea towel and use it to roll the pastry gently away from you and over itself to form a tight coil. Brush lightly with the remaining melted butter. Place in the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes.
• To make the syrup, place the sugar and water in a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the pie from the oven, brush all over with the syrup, then bake for a further 5 minutes.
• Leave to cool slightly, but serve it warm.

If you decide to buy this book after reading our content, please consider clicking through our affiliate link, located within the post and in the footnote at the end.

Recipe extracted from Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu with permission from publisher Frances Lincoln. Book photography by Jamie Orlando Smith. The book is currently available from Amazon UK (at time of publication) for £15.99 (RRP £22.00).