Fergesë e Tiranës

We never thought about Albanian cuisine before, that's until we booked a trip there next year. A little searching discovered this dish, Fergese e Tiranes, one of their National dishes. It originates from Tirana and celebrates the mighty pepper as do many of the countries in the Balkans. 

It was incredibly delicious scooped up with some warm crusty bread.

Ingredients
serves 2 (as main)

 6 Red Bell Peppers, chargrilled
150g Feta Cheese, grated 
450g Tomatoes, chopped
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
20g Flour
20g Butter
60g Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp Basil, chopped
Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp tomato paste (or even ketchup) (optional)

Method

Prepare the peppers by charring them on a barbecue or under the grill. Heat them until the skin blackens. Burnt is good in this case as it adds a lovely smokiness. 

Rotate the peppers so they are charred evenly all over.

Remove from the heat and wrap in clingfilm or place in an airtight container. Set aside to cool.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle remove the skin and deseed them. Coarsely chop them up. In a separate bowl try and keep as much of the liquid it releases as there's some great flavour in there.

Next, in a large frying pan heat the oil on a medium heat before adding the onions. Turn the heat down and slowly cook for about ten minutes.

Add the chilli flakes and cook for a minute before adding the tomatoes, peppers. Throw in the basil and stir well. 

Turn up the heat and simmer for a good ten minutes until it thickens. 

In the meantime, in a small saucepan on a low heat, melt the butter, then add the flour and stir in well. Add the grated feta cheese and work it into the roux. Add the yogurt to help it along. Use any liquid you collected from the peppers to loosen the roux out. Add more from the tomato and peppers mix if you need more. Or more yogurt. Once you have a loose sauce pour the roux into the peppers and tomatoes and mix well.  

If it looks a little pale add a tablespoon of tomato paste to redden it up a little. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Pour the mixture into two individual warm clay terracotta bowls and place in the oven. Bake for thirty minutes.

When done, remove from the oven and set aside for a good ten minutes to cool down.

Serve with warm crusty bread.  Ju bëftë mirë !