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Albanian Bread Stuffed with Cheese (Pogaça me Djathë)By Mimoza TresovaAlbanian Bread Stuffed with Cheese or Pogaça me Djathë is a fluffy Albanian soft bread, similar in style and texture to pizza or focaccia bread stuffed with cheese. Every country or region, has its own version of pogaça, with different flavor and texture. The ingredients for this delicious bread are flour ( white or wheat), yeast, oil, eggs and milk. Many ingredients can be added to the dough, or even sprinkled on top, before baking the dough.
Russian Salad (Sallatë Ruse)By Mimoza TresovaRussian salad, Olivier salad or sallatë Ruse as it's called in Albanian is a traditional Russian and Eastern European side dish usually prepared for holidays or special occasions. In Albania this eye catching, delicious and colorful vegetable dish was made particularly for New Year’s Eve dinner and it was present on almost all tables. Main ingredients are potatoes, carrots, eggs and mayonnaise. Olivier salad is best when all ingredients are diced to the same size. Dice everything pea-sized for best look, taste and texture.
Albanian Cornbread with Feta Cheese (Bukë Misri me Djathë)By Mimoza TresovaAlbanian cornbread is a tender crumbly type of bread made with cornmeal, egg, milk and baking powder batter. You can eat it plain with cheese, olives, serve it with stews, soups, salads or use it as stuffing. Albanian cornbread can be made in different versions: plain or with, leeks, spinach, zucchini and feta cheese.
One-Pan Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggs (Fërgesë)By Mimoza TresovaOne-pan tomatoes, peppers and eggs or fërgesë is a traditional Albanian dish. It is a one-pan meal which is made with four ingredients: green peppers, ripe tomatoes, eggs and feta cheese. Cured meats could be added on this dish depending on region and the season when it's made. The word fërgesë in Albanian means to sauté or fry. Tomato based stews were common throughout the former Ottoman Empire and Middle East with some variations. Some are meatless such as this recipe. Similar to this is Shakshouka in Middle East or Turkish Menemen.
Meatball Soup (Supë me Pasha Qofte)By Mimoza TresovaThis is a genuine old recipe from the town of Gjirokastra, Albania. It is a very colorful, nutritious and exquisite taste with Turkish and European influence. Pasha qofte are paired with a simple soup base made with potatoes and carrots cooked in broth. Into this bubbling soup you drop rice meatballs made with ground meat or turkey, rice, onion, herbs and spices which come together very quickly to a perfect bowl of soup.
Albanian Spinach Pie (Byrek Me Spinaq)By Mimoza TresovaAlbanian spinach pie is a savory dish made with flaky baked phyllo dough layers filled with spinach, feta cheese, eggs and herbs for flavor. Byrek is traditionally made with several phyllo dough sheets that have been thinly rolled out by hand. It can also be made with ready made pre-rolled phyllo pastry sheets.
Albanian Pan-Fried Meatballs (Qofte të Skuqura)By Mimoza TresovaAlbanian pan-fried meatball is a ball or patty made of ground meat of beef, lamb, chicken or pork mixed with spices and onions. This is a traditional Albanian dish widely used for every day meal or holidays as a main dish or sliders served with salad, rice, pasta, yogurt sauce or other dishes. Meatballs can be cooked in many different ways from pan frying to baking in the oven.
Albanian Vegetable Stew (Gjellë me Perime – Turli)By Mimoza TresovaAlbanian vegetable stew, thick, rich and creamy is a colorful satisfying meal that you can make it in any season. There are many individual variations in Mediterranean dish, but all feature summer vegetables like eggplants, zucchini, butternut squash, string beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onion, garlic and basil. In Albania vegetable stew is called Gjelle Turli, in southern Italy Ciambotta and France it is called Ratatouille.
Homemade Chicken Broth (Lëng Pule Shtëpie)By Mimoza TresovaEasy homemade chicken broth made with only four ingredients: chicken, onion, peppercorns and salt. Homemade chicken broth is a staple in so many delicious dishes. Usually when I am cooking chicken pilaf or chicken lemon soup I use this broth recipe.
Greek Creamy Egg, Lemon & Chicken Soup (Supë Pule me Limon)By Mimoza TresovaThis delicious Greek style egg, lemon and chicken soup is traditionally made in the cold winter days. It requires a flavorful homemade chicken broth made from scratch. The stars of this soup are the chicken broth and the egg lemon sauce.
Albanian Soda Bread For Stuffing (Kulaç Për Përshesh)By Mimoza TresovaSoda bread or kulaç is a type of quick bread traditionally made in Albania. It is usually made from flour, baking soda, salt, milk, oil and eggs. Traditionally Albanian soda bread or kulaç is mostly used to make stuffing for turkey on New Year Eve.
White Bean Stew (Gjellë me Grosh)By Mimoza TresovaWhite bean stew is a delicious meal, easy to make and very healthy and nutritious. The recipe below is made with dry beans, stewed in red sauce made with chopped tomatoes or tomato paste and onion. White beans are legumes high in protein and have significant amount of fiber in them. In Albania white beans stew is usually served with fermented food such as pickled tomato or cucumber also rice and bread. This recipe can be a very good vegetarian meal by simply omitting the meat. Dry white beans also are called fasule or grosh, depending on the region or country.
Beets and Potatoes Vinaigrette SaladBy Mimoza TresovaBeets and potatoes vinaigrette salad is a staple dish along with Olivier salad at most Russian gatherings. Very popular also in many other Eastern European countries. Beets and potatoes salad is a combination of root vegetables with a vinegar dressing. The beets, potatoes, and carrots may be boiled or roasted in the oven. This is a healthy, nutritious and vibrant salad made with diced boiled root based vegetables and perked up by some onion and zesty pickles. The name vinaigrette comes from a mixture of diced cooked vegetables dressed with vinegar. There are so many variations of this recipe. In many Slavic countries its customary to make Olivier and vinaigrette salad for the holidays, especially for New Years dinner celebrations. This is a great vegetarian side dish, alternative to a standard potato salad with great flavor. Here is the recipe, give it a try it does not hurt they are just vegetables!
Lamb, Lentil and Quinoa SoupBy Mimoza TresovaThis soup is delicious, nutritious and colorful with a good source of protein and dietary fiber. Brown, red, yellow or black lentils can be used depending on taste. This hearty soup can easily be a vegetarian soup, just by removing the meat from it. I chose to use lamb meat in this dish just to add some flavor. I am going to be making lentil and quinoa soup all winter long, serving to my family when they come over. It can also be frozen in small portions for lunch or dinner as needed.
Filo or Phyllo Dough for Albanian Pie (Petë për Byrek)By Mimoza TresovaBurek or Byrek is a very popular dish made with thin filo or phyllo pastries filled with meat, cheese and vegetables. This is prepared in a large pan and is cut in small portions. Burek is usually served with plain drinking yogurt or tarator soup.