Albania

Tavë Kosi
(Baked Lamb with Yogurt Sauce)

I made this dish Wednesday, June 24 for Andy and me. Of the international dishes that I have cooked this summer (all three so far), this was my least favorite. Andy said that he liked it, except for the fattiness of the lamb, but he may have just been stroking my ego, as I am an anal-retentive, overly sensitive perfectionist at times. I was not impressed by this dish. It was very simple to prepare, but I felt that the end product left something to be desired. Some things to consider/change if you decide to make this dish:
*Trim the lamb! It was very fatty, and took away from the dish as a whole.
*Use more than 2 tablespoons of rice. I thought that this amount seemed really small, and I feel that thinking was correct. It wasn't enough to make a consistent texture, just enough to pop up in every few bites and make the texture weird. If I were to make this recipe again, I would use 1/4-1/2 cup of rice.
*The yogurt sauce is very rich, and there was too much of it; the lamb to yogurt sauce ratio was off. I might halve the yogurt sauce component.

Here is my slightly clarified version of the original recipe:

Albanian Tavë Kosi

Ingredients:
LAMB:
-1 1/2 lb. lamb (shoulder or leg)
-4 T. butter
-2 T. basmati rice
-salt, pepper
YOGURT SAUCE:
-1 T. flour
-4 T. butter
-2 lb. yogurt
-5 eggs
-salt, pepper

Directions:
1) Cut meat into four serving pieces. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper.
2) Bake at 350 degrees with 4 T. butter, sprinkling the meat with its gravy every now and then. After 40 minutes, add rice to pan juices. Remove baking pan from oven and leave aside while yogurt sauce is prepared.
3) Sauté flour in butter until mixed thoroughly. Mix yogurt with salt, pepper and eggs until a uniform mixture is obtained. Stir in the flour mixture.
4) Put yogurt sauce mixture in the baking pan; stir it with the meat pieces and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Akrotiri

Makaronia tou Fournou
(Pasta with minced meat in oven)

So, I'm not sure if this really counts as a country, but it was listed on the list of countries that I am using for this project. Anyway, according to wikipedia, along with Dhekelia, it is the UK-administered area on the island of Cyprus that partially comprises the Sovereign Base Areas military bases of the United Kingdom.

Anyway...

I made this meal on Wednesday, June 17 for Andy and myself. It was once again quite delectable, although it reminded us of glorified Hamburger Helper. Still, I believe that it is worth the effort.

Here is my modified/clarified version of the original recipe:

Akrotirian Makaronia tou Fournou

Ingredients:
-1 lb. elbow macaroni
TOMATO SAUCE
-1 large onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb. ground beef (I used 90% fat free)
-15 oz. can peeled tomatoes, chopped
-2 tsp. tomato paste
-2 bay leaves
-salt and pepper
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
-2 oz. margarine
-2 T. flour
-2 c. skim milk
-12 oz. extra sharp 12 year cheddar, grated

Directions:
1) Sauté onions and garlic in a small amount of margarine or oil.
2) Add ground beef and brown.
3) Add peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, salt & pepper
4) Simmer for 45 minutes, until meat is tender and sauce is thickened.
5) After the meat has been simmering for about 35 minutes, cook the macaroni in salted water and drain.
6) Melt margarine in a small pan.
7) Stir in the flour until it forms a paste.
8) Add the milk in small increments, stirring continuously.
9) Pour in 3/4 of the cheese and stir until melted.
10) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11) Grease a 13x9" pan. Place one third of the pasta followed by half of the tomato sauce and then half of the béchamel sauce. Layer the second third of the paste and second half of the tomato sauce. Layer on last third of pasta plus final layer of béchamel sauce. Add the remainder of the grated cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Afghanistan

Really tasty! It would look more appetizing in the photo if my counter didn't match the dish...

Qaboli Palaw
(Yellow rice with lamb, carrots and raisins).

I made this dish on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 for myself and my boyfriend Andy. While it took a lot longer than I had anticipated (2.5-3 hours total), it was well worth the wait. It was just the right balance of sweet, savory and spice-y (not spicy as in hot, but spice-y as in tasty spices).

I chose this dish because, according to wikipedia, it is the national dish of Afghanistan. The original recipe can be found here.

Here is the recipe as I clarified/modified it:

Afghani Qaboli Palaw

Ingredients:
-medium onion, diced
-8 T. oil
-1 1/2 lb. lamb, cut into 1-2" cubes (I used leg)
-2 c. water
-1 tsp. salt
-1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
-1 1/2 tsp. cumin
-2 large carrots, sliced
-1 tsp. sugar
-1 c. raisins
-2 c. basmati rice
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-water

Directions:

1) Brown onion in 4 T. oil. Fry until the onion is fairly dark, 5-10 minutes.
2) Add lamb and brown lightly.
3) Add 2 c. water, 1 tsp. salt and cinnamon, cardamom and cumin. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about an hour. Remove meat from juice, set juice aside.
4) Meanwhile, saute carrots in sugar and 4 T. oil. Cook until lightly browned. Remove carrots. Add raisins to oil and cook until they swell.
5) Boil a small to medium pot of water.
6) Boil reserved meat juice. Add basmati rice, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and enough boiling water to come 2" over the rice. Cook 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Let stand 10 minutes.