Cheese or Marmelade Rolls / Kifle me Djath ose Marmelade

Ingredients:

2 cups (½ liter) milk, lukewarm

2 lbs. (1 kg) white flour

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. (50 gr) yeast

3/4 cup (200 ml) oil

2 tsp. salt

1 cup (0.5 kg) crumbled feta cheese or 1 cup of marmalade, if preferred

1 egg for dough

2 egg whites for feta cheese mixture

2 egg yolks for coating rolls

A little unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine lukewarm milk with yeast, sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour, and mix well.

2. Set the yeast mixture aside and allow it to sit for a few minutes.

3. In another deep bowl, pour flour, salt, oil, 1 egg and mix well.

4. Once mixed, add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and knead until bowl edges come clean.

5. Cover dough with cloth and allow it to rise for approximately 30-40 minutes or until it doubles in size.

6. While dough rises, prepare the baking pan, by buttering it and/or placing parchment paper. 

7. In another dish melt a little butter for the brushing of the rolls later.

8. Once dough rises divide into 6 equal partitions and form round balls.

9. Set dough balls aside and allow them to rise once more in room temperature.

10. While dough rises, separate 2 egg whites with egg yolks and place them in separate dishes. 

11. In a medium bowl, mix egg whites until they become foamy white and crumble feta on top. Blend well.

12. In another bowl, mix egg yolks with a little melted butter to use later for brushing rolls before baking.

13. Next, stretch each dough ball into a round pancake about 15 in. (30 cm) in diameter each.

14. With a knife, gently cut pancakes in the middle creating a half moon-shape, then in quarters, and in the end, eighths, forming triangles.

15. Place teaspoon of cheese or jam filling on each triangle and roll.

16. If needed, flex the triangles to squeeze the ends so the fill does not leak.

17. Aline the rolls in a baking pan.

18. Before baking, brush each roll with the egg yolk mixture.

19. Next, add a little melted butter on top of each roll.

20. Sprinkle rolls with sesame on top, optional.

21. Bake for about 20 minutes in a pre-warmed oven in 350 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).

22. Serve warm or cold with tea or a cup of milk.

© Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes

MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SALSA / QOFTE ME SALCË DOMATESH

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely grated

1 tbsp. flour

1 egg, whisked

1 ½ tsp. dried parsley

1 tbsp. mustard

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

Light olive oil, for pre-frying the meatballs

Salsa Ingredients:

2 cans of 14.5 oz. of diced tomatoes

½ tsp. mint

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 onion, finely grated

1 cup of water

3 tbsp. olive oil

Preparation Instructions:

1.     In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, finely grated onion, egg, parsley, flour, mustard, salt and pepper and mix well.

2.     Next, separate them into small to medium meatballs, approximately 24 pieces, and lightly sauté them.

3.     I another pan, lightly sauté the finely grated onion and garlic.

4.     Once onions are golden brown, add the two cans of diced tomatoes.

5.     Add, mint, salt, basil and water to sauce. Mix well.

6.     Place meatballs in a baking dish and pour the mixture over.

7.     Bake in 350^oF for about 30 minutes.

Serve as an appetizer, or on top of your favorite pasta.

Note:

This recipe is also great for spaghetti sauce. You can add a 24. oz. of any traditional pasta sauce to the dish above along with another 16 oz. of water and bake for about an hour. Serve on top of spaghetti noodles.

©Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes

Besa's Nutella Crepes / Palëpetë / Palaçinka me Nutella

INGREDIENTS:

3 Eggs
1 ½ cups of flour
½ cup of milk
½ cup of water
½ tsp. Salt
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

FILLING:

1 small jar hazelnut spread, Nutella, preferred.
Ground Plazma biscuit
4 tbsp. hazelnuts, peel, toasted and grounded or chopped, optional

PREPARATION:

1. Measure all ingredients, except flour and place into a large mixing bowl.
2. Beat ingredients with electronic mixer on medium speed, gradually adding flour, until all ingredients are combined.
3. If small lumps are present, pour batter through strainer.
4. In a medium non-stick sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter and cook until lightly browned.
5. Pour batter into a 9 inch metal pie pan. Remove pan from hit and tilt slightly to spread the batter throughout the pan.
6. Cook until the bottom side is lightly brown. If the crepe can be easily flipped, then turn, and cook on the second side.
7. Continue doing this until all the batter is used.

FILLING THE CREPES:

1. Lay the crepes on a flat surface.
2. Using a spatula spread each crepe with about 1 tablespoon of hazelnut spread.
3. Add ground Plazma biscuit on top and roll the crepe.
4. Garnish with chocolate syrup and toasted hazelnuts.

©Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes

ALBANIAN CLAY DISH /TAVË DHEU

INGREDIENTS:

½ lb. (250 gr) Beef Liver
1 big or 3 small tomatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 red pepper
2 tbsp. flour
1 hot pepper
Black pepper to taste
2 Clay dishes / 15 cm. wide x 5 cm
5.5 oz. (150 gr.) curd/cottage cheese or 3.5 (100 gr.) oz. ricotta
1 cup (50 gr.) feta cheese
2 garlic cloves
3-4 bay leaves

PREPARATION:

1. In a shallow pot we sauté the cubed liver in olive oil.
2. Once cooked, remove liver from oil and place in another dish.
3. In the remaining oil, brown the garlic sliced thin.
4. Add tomatoes, thin sliced.
5. Add pepper, thin sliced.
6. After a few minutes, add flour while continuously stirring the mixture so it does not stick to the pot.
7. Add curd/ricotta and Feta cheese and continue stirring.
8. Add bay leaves, hot pepper to liking, black pepper and a glass of hot water.
9. Add salt to taste.
10. Add sautéed liver.
11. Allow to cook together for approximately 5-7 minutes before placing the mixture into clay dishes.
12. Bake in 3750F degrees (200 Celsius) for about 20 minutes while occasionally checking.
13. Serve hot.

© Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes 

CHOCOLATE NUGGETS / TOPTHA ÇOKOLLATE

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (5 dl.) oats.
1/3 cup powder sugar
3.5 oz. or 7 tbsp. (100 gram butter), room temperature
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
3-4 tbsp. liquid coffee, cold
1 tsp. vanilla powder
3.5 oz. or 7 tbsp. 100 gr. Shredded coconut

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine oat, cocoa powder, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar and mix well.
2. Add the liquid coffee 2 tbsp. at a time, while thoroughly mixing.
3. Once the mixture is mixed well, using the palm of the hand you create into balls and roll them in coconut.
Note: This recipe may also be made with butter biscuit cookies instead of oats and crushed walnuts instead of coconut.

© Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes 

BUREK WITH PUMPKIN / PITE ME KUNGULL

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. 16 oz. (1 lb.) thawed out fillo dough
3 cups orange colored pumpkin, grated
4 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs

PHILLO BRUSHING MIXTURE:

2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup milk

PREPARATION:

1. Prepare baking sheet by adding a little oil and placing a piece of waxed paper to help the pie not stick to the pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine grated pumpkin, sugar and eggs and mix well.
3. In another mixing bowl, combine 2 eggs, milk, and olive oil.
4. Next, on an even surface, using two fillo sheets for each roll, brush filo lightly with the liquid mixture.
5. Using a tablespoon, spread the pumpkin filling straight across the edge of the sheet.
6. Fold the edges and roll gently so filo does not tear.
7. Repeat brushing, filling and rolling steps until the baking pan is full.
8. Pour or brush the pie with remaining liquid mixture.
9. Bake at 350oF until golden brown.
10. Serve warm.

© Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes

PICKLED YELLOW PEPPERS / TURSHI ME SPECA TЁ VERDHЁ

INGREDIENTS:

35-40 Sweet Hungarian peppers, meaty
1 lb. carrots, sliced
parsley, cut thin
garlic, minced
1/3 cup sugar
salt
apple vinegar
¼ table spoon dry preservative
Wash peppers and remove seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine sugar, salt and preservative
2. Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt inside
3. Place peppers in hot oven for warming
4. Place in a wide dish and cover
5. In sterilized jars, line-up 2 rows of peppers
6. Sprinkle a little mixture of sugar, salt and preservative over peppers
7. Add carrots, parsley, garlic and vinegar
8. Apply the same step to the jar top
9. Close jars temporarily to allow peppers to settle
10. When settled, add more peppers until pepper fluid penetrates through
11. If needed, boil brine with salt, sugar and vinegar
12. When brine cools, add to peppers
13. Cross the jar-tops with twigs
14. Seal jars with doubled cellophane, soaked in alcohol
15. Store in cool place until use

© Besa Kosova / www.facebook.com/albanianrecipes