Albanian Liver
lb (450-500 gr) lamb liver, cut into bite size
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp chili pepper (optional)
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup oil for frying
Sprinkle salt, paprika and chili pepper (optional) on the liver and then mix. In a wide plate place the flour and dip the livers into the flour.
Over high heat, sizzle the oil in a skillet and fry the livers for 4 – 5 minutes, till they are cooked. Place the cooked liver on a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil. Finally, place the Albanian style fried liver in a serving plate and serve warm.
Pilaf is good to go with Albanian style fried liver. ENJOY!
Ezogelin Corbasi
2/3 cup red lentil, washed and drained
1/3 cup rice, washed and drained
1/3 cup extra fine bulgur, washed and drained
1 onion, chopped finely
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp butter
4 – 5 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups cold+6-7 cups warm water
1 tbsp salt to taste
Lemon wedges or lemon juice
Place red lentil, rice and bulgur in a large pot. Add 6 – 7 cups warm water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then close the lid and cook over low heat, till all the grains are cooked (for about 20 – 30 minutes).
Meanwhile, put butter, canola oil and onions in a saucepan. Saute them over medium heat. Then add flour and sauté till it turns yellow. Stir in tomato paste, mint and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes and add 2 cups cold water. Stir well to dissolve the flour particles inside. And then, pour this mixture inside the pot and add salt. You can add more water to adjust the thickness as you desire. Once the soup boils, close the lid halfway and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Ladle Ezogelin Soup to serving plates and serve with lemon juice or lemon wedges. ENJOY!
Kisir
1 ½ cups cracked wheat (fine bulgur)
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup olive oil
1 ¾ cups boiling water
1 tomato, chopped finely
1 cucumber, chopped finely (optional)
½ bunch of fresh parsley/dill, chopped finely
2 – 3 leaves of lettuce, chopped finely
1 – 2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp dried mint
1 tbsp salt to taste
In a large bowl place fine bulgur and add boiling water. Stir and leave bulgur for 5 – 10 minutes to absorb all the water. Make sure that bulgur is not wet. The size of bulgur should be doubled.
Meanwhile, place olive oil and onions in a skillet and sauté over medium heat. Then add tomato paste and salt, sauté for 1 – 2 minutes. Add this mixture to puffed up bulgur and combine them using your hands. Then add lemon juice, cumin and dried mint. Mix them all and let them cool.
Finally, add tomato, cucumber, green onions, lettuce, parsley/dill and mix them all.
You can serve Kisir with lettuce leaves. Kisir is also good to go with pickles or pickled chili peppers and Ayran. ENJOY!
Irmik Helvasi
2 cups semolina
1 ½ cup sugar
4 cups boiling water/milk
125 gr (1 stick) butter/margarine
50 gr pine nut
1 tsp vanilla extract/1 package vanilla
2 tbsp oil
Place semolina and butter/margarine in a pot and sauté over medium heat. They will turn to light brown. Then, turn the heat off. Stir in boiling water/milk and close the lid. Set aside for 10 minutes, so that semolina will absorb the water.
Stir in sugar and vanilla, close the lid and leave for 5 minutes. In a small pan, sauté pine nuts with oil until they turn to golden brown. Stir in semolina.
Let the Semolina Halvah cool and serve with cinnamon on top if desired. ENJOY!
Kabak Tatlisi
3 lbs pumpkin (1500 gr)
2 – 3 cups sugar
½ cup walnuts or pecans
Thickened cream (optional)
Cut the pumpkin in chunks larger than bite size (you can cut them in any size you like). Clean the seeds inside and peel the pumpkin chunks. Place them in a large pot and spread the sugar evenly on the surface.
Let them stand for 3 – 4 hours, for sugar to dissolve. After you see the sugar dissolved, place the pot on a low-medium heat and cook for 40 – 50 minutes until the pumpkins are darken in color. The water should be mostly drained.
When they are cooled; garnish them with thickened cream, walnuts, pecans or any kind of nuts. ENJOY!
Etli Yaprak Sarma
1 lb grape leaves, washed one by one
Filling:
1 1/4 lb medium or regular ground beef, uncooked
1/2 cup rice, washed and drained
1/4 cup water
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped or grated
Salt, pepper
Garnish:
3 tbsp crushed tomatoes
60 ml butter, diced
Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl with a tablespoon. Fill a large pot half way with water and boil. Add in all the leaves and boil for about 2 – 3 minutes. Drain, and then cut off the stems, the matte, (not shiny) side of the leaf is the inside, that’s where the filling will go. Grab a leaf and fold the top where the stem was as shown in this. Put the leaf into your palm and use a teaspoon to put filling on it. First fold over the top, then the two sides and roll to close it up.
Line up all the rolls in a large pot tightly, without big holes in between. Spread the garnish on top. Put a small plate upside down over the rolls – this is to prevent the rolls from unfolding while being cooked. Then pour in a cup of water .Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cup of hot water, and cook for another 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve with Yogurt with Garlic Sauce.