Well a couple of years ago, I got to go to Argentina skiing with a good friend – and what a blast. On thing I did learn, is that if you don’t like beef, potatoes or chimichurri … good luck. It seemed like those 3 ingredients were a part of every meal, but luckily I do like all three. One night, we had this amazing grilled fish and of course potatoes … but the appetizers were these simple miniature meatballs with … of course … chimichurri. Well, I am not sure what their recipe was, but the chef was nice enough to tell me that his secret was to add ground pork and a little of the chimichurri to the meatball. Also, theirs was topped with this great tangy cheese. I never got the name of it, but it is similar to a feta being a drier, crumbly cheese, but the taste of a goat cheese, so I think either one works well. I tend to use Feta. Well, I ended up using a pretty classic meatball recipe and this is my version. I make smaller than normal meatballs and just serve with tooth pics on a big platter with the sauce. They are just Yummy Bite Size appetizers. A great holiday appetizer and easy to make. I bake mine, so even healthier. Make ahead and just reheat. I also buy Badia Chimichurri sauce, right from the grocery store. You can also find it at www.badia.com, but there are many other brands that are available.
This recipe is from http://gadgets360.wordpress.com/2006/01/08/2/ Wikipedia says that Byrek Shqipëtar me perime is one of the national dishes of Albania Byrek Shqipëtar me perime is an Albanian recipe for cooking pies. Albanian pies are generally made of thin pastry leaves which can be rolled out at home or bought as filo dough at a supermarket. Most of the pies prepared by Albanian cooks are not sweet; instead, pie fillings are almost always salty. Thus, a piece of such a pie may well serve as the main dish of a meal.
Albanian Tave Dheu is one of Albania’s national dishes and is also know as Fergese me melçi (with Liver). There is a vegetable version called Fergesë e Tiranës me Piperka which is just as tasty! This is a great recipe that allows me to get out my clay dishes and bake the same way you would back in Albania – I have a big thumbs up from the family for this dish! This recipe is best cooked in clay dishes, 15cm by 5cm deep. It gives it a natural authentic taste and looks good too!
LAKROR ME KUNGULL: The pumpkin (Kungull) family is a large family and have many vegetables included into it. We have two main ones that we make into pies in our village – this recipe is for Kungull i vogel Lakror which translates to a courgette pie. Then, more common in the summer is Kungull i madh Lakror which is Squash or Pumpkin pie. The Lakror me Kungull recipes have different names and can be made in two different ways. If you make the recipe with eggs and flour like this recipe then it is known as a Lakror. If you make the recipe with filo pastry (like my spinach pie recipe) then it is known as a Pite (or in some cases even byrek). The ‘i vogel’ and ‘e madh’ refer to a small or large pumpkin vegetable – courgette vs squash for example. Well, hopefully all this pie talk has got your ready for my recipe!
This recipe is from week four of my food blog, “Travel by Stove.” I am attempting to cook one meal from every country on Earth, and Albania is my fourth stop. These little cookies are not very sweet, but they are delicious. The date on top is more than enough to make up for what the dough lacks in sugar.
