7. Albania

Homemade Albanian Bread With Fruit 

Albanian Bread is served with every Albanian meal and although wheat bread is mostly served, traditionally Bukë Misri (Corn bread) would have been served instead or at least alongside. 

I find the bread very different to our traditional ‘off the self’ loafs, wrapped in plastic and a life of 4 or 5 days. Personally, I find that you cannot really make sandwiches with it (or toast it), it just does not taste the same but the bread is amazing for casseroles and stews as the thicker denser texture soaks up all the juices. The breads have thick crispy crusts around a very firm white bread, sliced and placed into plastic food bags but I’ve also noticed that in the last few summers, rolls have begun to be served in our local bakery which is a real nice treat and means I can make hamburgers using Qfote and Kebabs.

No bread is wasted – I mean none! When bread starts to get a bit tough then it is soaked into Grosh or made into Albanian Papare (a dish that uses bread mixed with eggs, water, salt and sometimes cheese is also added). It’s interesting that bread is so traditional and a normality for the table that the word ‘bread’ is used when you are going to eat.When I say ‘Bukë’ to my in laws I always feel like I am offering them bread rather then a meal! 

Let’s get baking!

Inspired by the homemade bread (and the fact that it is the best natural air freshener for your home!) I now make bread every weekend, and sometime through the week when time allows – I get a little help from my bread machine too. I love creating different types and experimenting with different infusions but when we have a slow cooked casserole all that’s needed is a nice thick, warm white bread – I’ve nearly managed to get it to taste like the Albanian bread back home too!

What I’ve noticed along the way:

• Strong bread flour seems to match the consistency of normal flour we use in Albania
• Fresh rosemary infuses the bread much more intensely
• You must twice proof the dough

Homemade Albanian Bread 
You won’t need a bread tin to bake this bread, it’s best to shape it by hand and let it rise into a dome.

• 500g strong bread flour
• 7g dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 300ml warm water

Bread Machine: Add the ingredients in the order listed above and set your machine to Large loaf (normally 800g or 1kg) on the dough only setting. This cycle is normally around 1.5 hours long which includes the first proofing stage.

By Hand: In a bowl mix together the water, yeast, salt and oil. Add a quarter of the flour and mix well, gradually add the rest of the flour bit by bit but instead of mixing use your hands to knead. You should knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Cover with a damp tea towel and place in a warm room, inside the cooker (with cooker off) or perhaps in the airing cupboard if you have one. You want the dough to rise to at least double it’s size – around an hour.

Remove the dough from the machine or bowl and place on a lightly floured surface and shape ensuring that it gets a light covering of flour. There are two shapes that I use, rolling into a large ball or flattening slightly, pulling the ends to make a rectangle, with rounded corners (bloomer shape) however, you can break into smaller pieces to make rolls. Place the dough onto a parchment lined baking tray in a warm environment for another hour.

Before baking grind some seas salt over the top of the dough and if you are baking a large dome, cut a cross into the top of the bread.

You need to bake the bread at a high temperature and in a short time – Preheat your oven to 230 degrees and place the baking tray on the bottom shelf. Bake for 25 minutes – when you remove from the oven, turn the tray oven and tap the bottom of the bread, you should get a hollow sound.
Serving: Perfect alongside Casseroles and Stews.

Homemade Rosemary and Garlic Bread This bread recipe has the same method as above but with a slight change of ingredients:

• 500g strong bread flour
• 7g dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 stems of fresh rosemary diced or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary.
• 3 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
• 300ml warm water

Add the rosemary at the same time as the initial ingredients.
Serving: Perfect alongside Fish and Chicken.

Serve with figs, pomegranates, and/or persimmons

Spinach Pie | Albanian Pite me Spinaq

 Ingredients

Adjust Servings:

	2 Homemade Discs Filo Pastry
	750g Spinach
	2 Eggs
	25g Feta Cheese
	Olive Oil
	220ml Water

 Nutritional information

196

Calories

1.9g

Sugar

1.9g

Sat Fat

7.3g

Fat

6.3g

Protein

26.2g

Carbs

1/12

Serving

Recommended by My Albanian Food

 Directions

SHARE

 Shares

This spinach pie (Albanian Pite me Spinaq) is one of the most common pies which is similar to Albanian byrek and always tastes so good when made with homemade filo pastry! It can be eaten fresh and hot but will mostly be served when it is cooled and the water has soaked into the pastry. Great the next day for lunch.

Have you tried?You can replace spinach with large amounts of fresh basil and parsley, finely chopped. Or, you can also use a tin of spinach puree with the same tasty outcomes!

 

 Shares

Steps

1 DONE	PREPARE THE FILLING In a large mixing bowl, with your hands mix together the spinach, eggs and crumble in the cheese. By crunching your hands break up the spinach leafs ensuring all is covered with the egg and cheese. Set to one side.
2 DONE	FOR HOMEMADE FILO PASTY: Place a filo pastry disc in a large baking tray and add filling on top.
3 DONE	Add the second disc on top and seal the edges by tucking them down.
4 DONE	Put a thin layer of oil over the top
5 DONE	FOR PREMADE FILO PASTRY: Layer sheets of filo pastry on top of each other brushing a layer of olive oil after each one before the next one is place down. Once 6/8 sheet are laid add the filling on top.
6 DONE	Repeat the layering until a further 6/8 sheets are on top of the filling - olive oil brushed on each one.
7 DONE	Put a thin layer of oil over the top.
8 DONE	COOKING Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown.
9 DONE	PREPERATION FOR SERVING Once removed from the oven, pour half a cup of water over the top and half a cup of water around the edges. Cover the spinach pie with two tea towels and leave to stand for 1 hour before serving.

(Appetizers) Tirana Furghes with Veal (Fergesë e Tiranës me mish viçi)

Fërgesë e Tiranës me Mish Viçi (Tiranian Veal with Fried Cottage Cheese) is a traditional Albanian recipe for a classic dish of fried veal and onions cooked in a cottage cheese and butter sauce thickened with butter.

		Ingredients:
		Veal Cutlets, one pound
		Salted Cottage Cheese or Greek Feta Cheese, half-pound
		Flour, one tablespoon
		Butter, one quarter-pound stick
		Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons
		Onion, one medium-sized
		Add Salt, Black Pepper, and Chili Pepper to your taste

Servings: 4
Preparation:

First, cut the veal cutlets into small pieces and then dice the onion. In a saucepan, preheat the olive oil and Sauté the meat and onion for 15 minutes. In another saucepan, melt the butter and then add flour, cottage or Feta cheese, and black pepper, salt and chili pepper to taste. Mix all the ingredients together (adding the Sautéd meat and onions) in the saucepan and place in a preheated 350 oven for 15 minutes. Take out and serve immediately.

Note: Instead of veal cutlets, beef liver can be used in the same quantity of meat and preparation/cooking instructions as above.

Stuffed Parma Prosciutto

Ingredients

• 6 slices Prosciutto di Parma
• 3 1/2 ounces plain goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• shaved pecorino
• sun dried tomatoes
• sautéed baby spinach
• house yogurt sauce
• minced scallions
• topped with basil mint oil

• Instructions

  Preheat the oven to 400° F.

  Cut Prosciutto di Parma slices in half crosswise. Press each half slice of prosciutto into each cup of a mini-muffin pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  In the meantime, in a small bowl combine goat cheese with milk and chopped chives until creamy.

  Remove Prosciutto di Parma cups from the oven and let cool. Pipe or spoon about a tablespoon of the goat cheese mousse into cooled Parma cups.
• top with rest of ingredients 

Albanian Baklava

Ingredients

• ½ pounds Chopped Walnuts (unsalted)
• ½ pounds Chopped Pistachios (salted)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 16 ounces, weight Package Of Phyllo Dough
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Honey

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass pan. Finely chop the nuts and toss them with the cinnamon and set aside.
Unroll phyllo dough and cover with a damp towel while working so that it does not dry out.
Cover the pan with two layers of the phyllo dough then thoroughly brush with melted butter. Continue this pattern until you have a base layer of 8 sheets of dough. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top.
Layer with 2 sheets of dough again, brush with butter, and then top with 2-3 tablespoons of nuts. Continue this process of layering until you use everything up. Make sure that for the top layer you have about 6 sheets of phyllo dough with butter in between every two but no nuts, like you did the base layer.
Once you are done layering, make sure you brush the top with melted butter and use a sharp knife to cut into diamond-shaped pieces. An easy way to do this is to make four long rows lengthwise and then do diagonals across.
Bake for about 50 minutes until golden and crisp.
While baking. prepare the syrup. Boil the sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add the vanilla and honey and simmer for 20 minutes.
Immediately after removing the baklava from the oven, spoon the syrup over it. Leave it uncovered because it will get soggy if covered.

black tea with sugar , lemon, milk and honey

(Good Eats: Lemon Curd)