Albania, Tavë Kosi with Shëndetlie

This week we tried the national dish of Albania, Tavë Kosi. Tavë Kosi translates to sour milk casserole. Mack and I were both a little concerned with this one... lamb cooked in Greek yogurt... yum! However it turned out quite delicious and I plan on making it again soon It.

For this, I used a recipe from Rick Stein on his blog " From Venice to Instanbul." https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/albanian_baked_lamb_with_92485

Much to Mack's dismay I decided on using lamb for this. I made the mistake of buying lamb shoulder with the bone thinking that boned lamb meant "with the bone."

Unlike Kabuli, Tavë Kosi was a quick and easy bake. This dish can be whipped up fairly quickly the only part that is kind of tricky is the roux. The dish was incredibly tasty though, the tang from the yogurt paired with the lamb quite well. It kind of reminded me of a Frittata mixed with Shepards pie. The rice in the dish was another surprise its a very small amount but is definitely necessary. Even Mack gave it her stamp of approval. We paired the Tavë Kosi with a simple lettuce salad and a baguette.

In addition to Tavë Kosi Mack wanted to make a traditional dessert from Albania. She made Shendetlie. Shendetlie is a traditional Albanian dessert, typically served around Christmas time. It is a cake featuring crushed walnuts and honey that is soaked in a sugar syrup after baking. Shendetlie used to be somewhat of a delicacy due to the price of walnuts and honey. Nowadays, these items are less expensive and Shendetlie can be enjoyed more often. It is often paired with a dry, white wine or orange juice.

The Tavë Kosi is definitely a comfort food and has found a unique use for yogurt. I would rate it a solid 8/10. Now like most of the things we are going to make we do not know what things should taste like. That being said I don't know if we made a mistake along the way but the Shendetlie was not impressive. It tasted like a soggy flavorless cake. Mack and I believe we used too little walnuts and honey but are unsure. If you or someone you know has had Shendetlie please let us know what you think!

Tune in next week to find us Dishin' Around in Algeria! We will be attempting a traditional Couscous with Mkhabez.