After a less than stellar start with Afghanistan last week (which has nothing to do with the country or its cuisine and more to do with my novice cooking skills), things are really starting to heat up with Albania, the second stop on my worldwide culinary adventure.

Not only did I learn from my mistakes last week, but my three year old son Sam decided to step into the kitchen and in front of the camera this week to help me cook and give me some pointers as well. Be sure to check out the video above or below to see our banter. It’s pretty hilarious if I do say so myself.

This week we turn to a country whose cuisine is sorely under-represented in the United States outside of major metropolitan areas. We’re going to the Balkan country of Albania.

THE CUISINE

It seems like Albania’s neighbors and influences get all the credit – most notable Italy, Greece, and Turkey. But while Albanian cuisine shares a little bit from all of these nations (and a lot from its Mediterranean Sea border), it has some unique little twists and turns that deserves a lot more attention from the national culinary world than it seems to receive.

They are a Balkan country in southeastern Europe and had one time been controlled by the Romans, Venetians, Greeks, and others. They were part of the Ottoman Empire for a long time until 1912. All of this has, of course, influenced cuisine.

Its geography in the Mediterranean and Balkan peninsula also influences its diet. Olive oil, like in all Mediterranean countries, is king of the land. But dairy, especially in the south is very important, as you will see in the National Dish below.

Fresh fruits, vegetables, Garlic, onions, and herbs are very prominent. Herbs are always found in the dishes, most notably oregano, rosemary, and thyme.

In terms of dishes, they love to eat meat pies (bureks and flia), grilled meats, fried sausages, stews (goulash is even a thing here!), seafood, and lots of cheese!

THE DISH

I was very excited to try Tavë Kosi because it sounded so interesting and was not something I had tried in my past experiences with Albanian cuisine . A casserole made with lamb, yogurt, and eggs. I saw photos of it and couldn’t quite figure out what it tasted like.

The meaning of the words, as usual, tells one what the dish is: Tavë refers to a casserole and Kos means “from goat’s milk yogurt”. But this was not the original name of the dish. It’s also known as Tavë Elbasani, which is a reference to the town of Elbasan in central Albania.

Like all classic dishes, there is a good story about its origin. In the 15th century, the story goes that locals in Elbasan were marinating lamb in yogurt for the Ottoman sultan who was occupying the region. They then used the leftover lamb and yogurt to create a new dish, which is now the National Dish of Albania and one of the most important dishes of the culture.

THE VIDEO

So Sam finally steps into the ring on this video. You can see our loving father/son banter. He is very eager to learn about how to cook but he also has some pointers for me (like not to burn the food!!)

This is going to be quite a journey together!!

ALBANIAN FOOD IN NEW YORK

I felt like I hit the jackpot when I discovered the wealth of Albanian restaurants in the likeliest but seemingly unlikeliest neighborhood of New York. the Little Italy neighborhood of the Bronx along Arthur Avenue. While many people head up there for killer lasagna, those in the know also take advantage of restaurants like Çka Ka Qëllu and Gurra Cafe. An Albanian burek stuffed with cheese or pumpkin is as easy to get up there as a slice of pizza.

Many of the employees at the Italian restaurants and shops are actually Albanian (many who speak Italian), but there are also a good number of Albanian restaurants that are frequented by those employees, local residents, and anybody else who is keen enough to sniff out great food.

I’ve had a few experiences here and they have all been wonderful.

By far, the most rustic of the restaurants was also my favorite Çka Ka Qëllu (good luck pronouncing that) serves heartier Albanian dishes. Vegetarians are welcome, but celiacs and the lactose intolerant will have a tougher time. The crepe-like Fli was rib sticking and accompanied by tangy cheese. The impressive mantia are probably the closest flavorwise to the Tavë Kosi. Those are breaded veal dumplings in a garlic and yogurt sauce.

But something that is probably eaten more often in Albania than anything else is the fast food favorite of burek. Along Arthur Avenue, it’s as easy to find as a slice of pizza, believe it or not. I’ve had a few doughy concoctions at Tony & Tina’s Pizzeria, including pies stuffed with cheese and meat, but the pumpkin one (which usually sells out) is a revelation.

HOW I SCREWED IT UP

I actually didn’t do so bad this time. Although I’ve never tasted a grandmother’s Tavë Kosi, I thought this was pretty good. The meat was tender and the sauce was tangy and rich. Perhaps the rice was a bit undercooked because there were a few crunchy bits (which I didn’t mind actually). Or those crunchy bits might have been a poorly cracked egg shell. I blame my son (watch the video for proof!)

Otherwise this was much more successful than the the first outing. There is hope for me yet.

THE RECIPE

I found most recipes boil the lamb before they bake it in the casserole, so I knew I had to parcook it. But I much prefer to get that meat brown and crisp, so I found a few recipes where the meat is first roasted. And I really liked the idea of adding butter to each piece.

Of course, goat’s milk yogurt is most important to this dish. I probably could have hunted it down but I had a big tub of Greek yogurt (cow’s milk) which many modern recipes say is ok. So I felt justified in the substitution.

Some recipes also eliminated the garlic and oregano, but I thought that wouldn’t get the true flavor of the Mediterranean. What is a dish from this region without garlic and oregano?? Heck, I’d even add it to baklava if I could.

I knew using a casserole dish would be the most true to the name, but since I didn’t own one, I used a Pyrex baking dish instead and it worked just fine (at least I think so).

Here is the recipe I pieced together from a few different resources.

SAM’S REACTION

Having Sam join me behind the stove was a joy – for both of us. I also think it gave him more confidence to taste the dish.

As I think I mentioned last week, he likes all of his food separated (he’s a sauce on the side kind of three year old) so I had to pull the lamb out of the casserole. Sorry to all my Albanian followers.

He also seemed to think we were cooking chicken and was upset when the meat put in front of him wasn’t the all too common poultry. But when he did try the lamb (this was not his first lamb venture), he was very happy with it.

NEXT WEEK

We’re going big for next week and I’m hoping Sam comes along. He tends to like rice and pasta, so the national dish of Algeria almost fits that bill.

For the third week in a row, we’ll be using lamb. It is no doubt one of the most consumed meats in the world despite its few appearances in American cuisine.

In the comments, let me know if you’ve ever tasted Albanian food and what your favorite dishes are. Or if you have any suggestions for future recipes, I would love to hear your thoughts.