You will love having traditional Albanian food in a restaurant, but what if you tried cooking it at home?
- Good news – Most of the Albanian recipes are easy to do and require basic ingredients
We are absolutely sure you will enjoy the process, especially cooking these 10 recipes from our favourite cook Sunny Kitchen, who was so kind to share them with us. You can find the whole ingredients and recipe by clicking at each image. We encourage you to cook them at home and let us know about the result.
10 Albanian recipes by Sunny Kitchen
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Casserole with liver – Tave dheu me melci
‘Tave dheu’ is mostly a central Albanian dish and to be honest, the chefs from Tirana do it better than in other regions of the country. It’s more of a winter dish, because it comes hot at the table and its basic ingredients are livers and cottage cheese. You will find it in every agrotourism restaurant, grill restaurants and almost every other place in Tirana. We dare you to try Sunny Kitchen’s recipe and let us know if it was an easy one or not.
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 400 gr beef pulp, cut into 2 cm pieces
• a little flour
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1-2 chili peppers, cut into rings
• 1/2 cup red wine red coffee
• 2 roasted tomatoes, grated on a grater (I used 1/2 cup homemade tomato puree)
• 2 bay leaves
• 200 gr of cottage cheese
• salt
• Freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 220 ° C and heat the clay pots. Pass the pieces of meat into the flour so that they are smeared on all sides. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a deep frying pan and place the pieces of meat to fry on all sides. Add the remaining oil, chili pepper, onion and sauté over low heat until softened, stirring occasionally. Add enough garlic to release the aromas (for 30 seconds) and add the vinegar. Once the vinegar is absorbed by the meat, add the tomatoes, bay leaf and half a glass of hot water. Let it boil for 5 minutes and then add the cottage cheese, salt and pepper.
Transfer the cooked mass to 2 small clay pots and bake for about 20 – 25 min.
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2. Beans – Fasule
Alright, fasule or grosh (white beans) is a common dish everywhere in Albania and Balkan too. I have tried a version of the dish in Skopje, Northern Macedonia, but I like the Albanian version better. It’s more juicy and the special ingredient, pasterma (beef jerky) gives it the best taste ever. Every Albanian mom can do it and you can do it too. It’s healthy and cheap. Try it!
Boil the beans in advance. Then, mix a little with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic with 2 hot peppers and 2 sprigs of thyme. Add the beans and juice and let them simmer for another 10 minutes until the taste is combined. Grind in the mixer 2 garuzhde beans with 2 tablespoons of Genoese pesto and return them to the pot. Finally serve with a little extra olive oil on top.
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3. Fried Peppers – Fergese with peppers
Fergesa is undoubtedly one of the earliest traditions of Albanian cuisine. Cooked in different ways in different regions it tastes fantastic in all her versions.
Ingredients :
• 10 peppers
• 1 medium onion (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 small hot peppers, to taste
• 600 gr tomatoes, grated
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-5 tablespoons cottage cheese with salt
• 2 eggs
After washing the peppers well and wiping them so that they do not have water, fry them in sunflower oil on low heat on all sides. Just before removing from the heat, add 1 minced garlic. Or you can bake it in the oven and then remove the skin. After you have cleaned, salt it as you wish.
In a deep frying pan pour the olive oil to heat. Fry the finely chopped onion until it turns yellow. Add the chili peppers and the other clove of minced garlic. Next, add the minced tomato, sugar, put a lid on the pan and let simmer on low heat for 15 min. After this, add the cottage cheese to the sauce and let it cook for 5 minutes until the oil comes to the surface. Beat 2 eggs separately and add to the frying pan, stirring for 2-3 min. Check the frying pan for salt and finally add the peeled peppers with the frying pan. Serve with toasted bread.
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4. Shqeto permetare
For 4 people:
• 800 grams of lamb
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 glass of milk
• 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 2 egg yolks or 1 whole egg
• the juice of a squeezed lemon
• salt, pepper as desired
Put the meat in a saucepan, cover with water and boil it.
Once it is cooked, in another bowl melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and knead until it releases the smell. Pour in the milk and stir so that it does not form granules. Next, add the drained meat broth (1.5 liters) and simmer until the soup becomes creamy. Stir occasionally. Add finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
In a bowl mix with a fork the egg yolks and lemon juice. Add a little of the broth, stirring constantly, then toss in the soup and leave until it gets a boil. Serve with toasted bread or pie.
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5. Albanian meatball soup
Ingredients for meatballs:
• 400 gr of minced beef
• 4 tablespoons rice
• 1 dried onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped dill
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mint
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
For the liquid:
• 1.5 liters of meat or vegetable juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• the juice of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
Use a wide-bottomed pot to keep the meat loose. Pour the meat broth into it and set it to heat.
Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and squeeze the mixture well enough to bind. Form balls the size of a walnut.
Once the liquid boils, add salt, pepper and olive oil and carefully place the meatballs one by one. Let simmer over medium heat for 30 min.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites with a fork until foamy. Add the yolks and lemon juice and beat well with a fork. Then add 2 tablespoons of the hot broth to approximate its temperature and toss in the pot. Shake the pot lightly until the egg mixture is homogeneous with the liquid. Serve with fresh dill on top.
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6. Chicken drumsticks with corn flour porridge
For 2-3 servings:
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• salt
• peppercorns
For the porridge:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons corn flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet red pepper powder
• chili powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon full of chopped nuts
In a saucepan, combine the chicken thighs with the onion, carrot, celery, salt and pour 1.5 liters of water. Put to simmer over medium heat until the meat is simmering. Once boiled, place the thighs in a casserole with 1 cup of coffee from the boiling liquid and place in the preheated oven at 200 ° C. Meanwhile drain the juice from the vegetables. Melt the butter over low heat and fry the flour over low heat, stirring constantly until it becomes light brown. Add the sweet pepper powder, mix and then gradually add the boiling liquid, stirring constantly so that no grains form. Stir until it starts to thicken. Add nutmeg, chili peppers, minced garlic, nuts and mix. Put the porridge in the casserole and put it back in the oven until the thighs have turned cheeks and become creamy on top, about 25 min.
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7. Pispili with spinach
For an oven casserole:
• 1/2 kg corn flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 11/2 cup hot water
• 2 cups yogurt
• 200 gr of white cheese
• a quarter of a glass of olive oil
• 2 leeks, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 hand fennel
• Fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 kg peeled spinach
• 2 eggs
Finely chop the leeks, green onions, washed and drained spinach and dill. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan, add the leeks with the onions and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Then add the spinach and let it cool down a bit. Turn off the stove and leave it to boil. Beat the eggs, add the shredded cheese and mix with the spinach, leeks, onions and spices.
In a large bowl mix the cornflour with the salt. Add hot water, yoghurt and olive oil. Finally, add the spinach and stir well.
Grease a casserole with olive oil and pour the mixture into it. Set to bake in preheated oven at 220 ° C for 30-40 minutes.
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8. Kompekaj
A simple dessert, but with a taste that is long remembered. Follow the recipe steps to make it as easy as possible to prepare.
Ingredients for a 24 cm dm pan:
- 2 sfoliate noodles
- 3-4 tablespoons grain cherry jam
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon milk
- 5 average eggs, at temp.ambienti
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cocoa
- 3 tablespoons crushed walnuts
For the service:
- 2 cups sugar water (400 gr)
- 2 glasses of water (400 ml)
- the skin of an orange (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick
First prepare the serving by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan and set to boil for 3-4 min.
Allow to cool.
Prepare the sponge cake:
Beat the egg whites until foamy.Add the sugar and beat at maximum speed until they become a firm meringue. Add the yolks and mix. Add flour mixed with sifted cocoa and nuts. Mix with a spatula from the bottom up until a homogeneous mass is created. Place one foil foil in the pan, making sure that the foil comes out of the contours. Spread the jam on the noodles. Pour the dough over the noodles with jam. Carefully overlap the other noodle and cut the sides.
Carefully kiss the lips of the noodles. Coat the noodles on top with a beaten egg with a little milk. Bake at 180 ° C for about 40-45 min. After removing from the oven, discard the cold serving and let it drink well before serving.
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9. Yogurt Casserole – Tave kosi
To prepare this recipe for 4 people we need:
- 1 kg of fresh lamb
- 1 kg of homemade yogurt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 eggs
- a little butter
- 2 tablespoons rice
- salt
Put the meat in a casserole, salt it, add a little butter, two tablespoons of rice, 1 glass of water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put it in the oven at 220 degrees. Once half of the baking time has elapsed, remove the aluminum foil.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix three eggs, add a little salt and 2 tablespoons of flour, mix well so that the flour does not become a grain and add about 1 kg of yogurt.
Transfer the ingredients to a saucepan, after adding a little broth and put on the fire until it boils, mix with a spoon all the time.
Add the yoghurt mixture to the meat casserole, let all the ingredients cook with each other until they get a golden color, about 45-50 minutes.
10. Kulaç
The weekends spent in the village, or in many of the most beautiful tourist areas of Albania, can not be imagined without the cake, a warm, delicious bread that has no comparison with what we are used to buying in bakeries. It is the main ingredient of the famous sea turkey or chicken. But it is also fantastic, as it is accompanied warm with a little fresh butter and white cheese.
The cake was traditionally prepared by Albanian mothers or grandmothers on a special occasion, but also when friends and guests came home.
Ingredients
- 1 kg of flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 500 grams of yogurt
Preparing the cake
Throw the flour all in a large bowl. A hole opens in the middle of the flour where you can add baking soda and salt. Then add the whole eggs followed by the yoghurt. You can choose goat or sheep yogurt for this recipe. Mix the flour with all the other ingredients using a wooden spoon. Add a little more water to facilitate the formation of the cake dough. Then remove the spoon and knead the dough by hand until the dough is uniform.
Take the dough and put it in the pan by spreading it by hand until it is kissed on every corner of the surface of the baking dish.
Once the cake dough is well spread, use a clean fork to shape its surface.
Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 250-400 degrees.
