AI-generated image
Tavë dheu
Lamb liver and pepper clay pot
Tavë dheu: Albanian clay pot of lamb's liver, peppers, tomato and curd cheese
The name means 'earthenware dish', and in Tirana's traditional restaurants tavë dheu arrives bubbling in its clay pot: tender pieces of liver cooked with peppers, tomato and garlic, then baked under a creamy blanket of gjizë, the Albanian salted curd cheese, until it browns. It is rich and tangy, a classic hot meze and lunch dish in Albania, eaten with plenty of bread. A common mistake is frying the liver too long before baking, which makes it tough and grainy. Chef's tip: soak the liver in milk in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking; it softens any bitterness.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb lamb's or calf's livermembrane removed, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionsliced
- 2 green and red pepperssliced
- 3 garlic clovessliced
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 egg
- ⅔ oz unsalted buttermelted
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Heat the 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the 1 onion and 2 green and red peppers for 6 minutes until soft.
6 minStep 2: Add the 3 garlic cloves and 3 tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, until saucy.
5 minStep 3: Turn the heat up, add the 1 ⅛ lb lamb's or calf's liver and stir for 2 minutes, until just sealed on the outside. Season with the ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 tsp dried oregano and tip into a clay pot or baking dish.
3 minStep 4: Beat the 9 oz gjizë, ricotta or cottage cheese with the 1 egg and spread it over the liver; drizzle with the ⅔ oz unsalted butter.
3 minStep 5: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the cheese is set and golden and the liver is cooked through with no pink inside (160°F). Serve hot.
18 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 31 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tavë dheu take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of green and red peppers?
- Any colour of bell pepper, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian