Sheqerpare - Cookies in Syrup

2 cups sugar

¾ cup butter, softened 

2 eggs 

2 cups flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup water

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 to 3 whole cloves

Mix 1-cup sugar and butter in a bowl. Add yolks and stir until smooth. Add flour and baking soda and stir until a soft dough forms. Roll out the dough. Cut it into 2-inch rounds and place it on baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until pale gold for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. Bring the remaining 1-cup sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan and cook until syrup spins a long thread, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and season with vanilla and cloves to taste.

Remove cookies from oven when golden and allow them to cool. Pour hot syrup over cookies. Serve at room temperature.

Rabbit casserole with onions and wine vinegar - Comlek

1 rabbit cut in pieces

4 medium-sized tomatoes chopped or 2 Tbs tomato paste

2 bay leaves

4 Tbs red wine vinegar

150 ml olive oil

¼ of a tsp sugar

4 cloves garlic, whole

300 ml hot water

small piece cinnamon stick

salt & black pepper

4 whole allspice berries

700 gr. small onions, peeled but left whole

1 sprig of rosemary

1 small glass of dry red wine

Marinate rabbit in vinegar and bay leaves overnight in the fridge or a couple of hours before cooking it. Remove rabbit pieces from marinade, pat them dry and fry them in half the olive oil until golden-brown on both sides.

When all rabbit pieces have been fried, place them back in the saucepan. Add garlic cloves, bay leaves, spices, rosemary and wine. Then add the tomato puree or tomatoes, sugar and the hot water. Season, cover and cook for about 1 hour. In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onions. Stir them occasionally, in order to make sure they turn golden all over, for about 15 minutes. Add the contents of the frying pan to the saucepan, and shake it so that the onions spread evenly. Then cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Serve with fried potatoes or plain white rice and a green salad.

Tirana Fergese with Peppers

Serves 4 people

 Ingredients:

 - Green or Red Peppers, half- pound

- Red Tomatoes, one pound

- Salted Cottage Cheese or Greek Feta Cheese, half-pound

- Flour, one tablespoon

- Butter, one quarter-pound stick

- Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons

Add Salt, Black Pepper, and Chili Pepper to your taste

 Cooking Instructions:

 Peel the skin off the tomatoes and peppers. Saute them in a saucepan for 5-7 minutes only in the olive oil and then set them aside to cool down for 15 minutes. Dice them the way you like. In another saucepan, melt the butter. Add flour, cottage or Feta cheese, and black pepper, salt and chili pepper to taste. Mix all the ingredients together and place them in saucepan. Put saucepan in a preheated 350 oven for 15 minutes. Take out and serve immediately.

 

Tirana's Romaine Salad

Ingredients 

one head of romaine lettuce 

1 bunch of green onions, chopped 

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced 

salt 

Pepper 

olive oil 

lemon juice 

Instructions 

Wash the lettuce and break the leaves into bite-size pieces. Toss in a salad bowl and decorate with chopped green onions and egg slices. Add salt and pepper to taste. Right before serving, add olive oil and lemon juice to taste. 

Original Yougurt Sauce

Ingredients 

Plain Yogurt 

Garlic 

Dried mint 

Salt 

Instructions 

Mix together one-half cup of plain yogurt, one-forth teaspoon crushed garlic, one-forth teaspoon salt, and one-half teaspoon dried mint leaves. Serve and enjoy! 

Marga's Qofte të fërguara

Ingredients

one pound ground lamb or beef

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

4 tbsp chopped Feta cheese

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 cup chopped mint (use less, if dried)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper

flour

oil

Instructions

Combine all ingredients besides flour and oil. Let stand covered for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Shape into small cilinders. Dust with flour and fry until done.