Albania

Menu: Tavë kosi | Recipe Source: jesseatsandtravels.com

I have to make a confession (and I’ve made this confession before, and still haven’t learned my lesson!). Every time I see a recipe that’s super light on ingredients, I get skeptical about how it’s going to turn out. Browning the lamb and simmering it with just garlic cloves and water felt so simple, but as soon as I started to smell it (heavenly), I realized that I had judged a book by its cover. This meal was simple, but it was also wintery, homey, and delicious. It also turned out super well despite me using GF flour and a vegan butter replacement, which is always a win in my book.

Ready to cook?

Tavë kosi: (link): I split the difference between two recipes: the one linked to the left, and this one from the BBC. I was slightly light on lamb after removing all of the gristle so I ended up using 45g rice to make up the difference. I simmered the lamb and garlic mixture with a bay leaf, used 6 grated garlic cloves instead of 2 crushed, and used a mixture of bouillon and salt instead of just plain salt. I also used a vegan butter replacement instead of real butter, and after adding the rice and lamb mixture to the baking crock, I squeezed a little lemon over top before pouring the roux and yogurt sauce.