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!
September sees the start of the season of Okra and yes, it can be a slimy gooey vegetable if not handled right! This Albanian Lamb and Okra Stew is really quick to make, the smell is amazing and has a good balance of soft Okra but not gooey. The key to this Okra stew is not to pierce any holes in the Okra as this prevents them from going too slimy. Before you start this recipe you need to decide if you will use homemade stock or store brought. To make homemade stock it is best to use lamb chops or shanks.
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.
Make and share this Pasticho, an Albanian Recipe! recipe from Food.com.
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