If you had asked me, say, when I was in high school whether I would ever have a connection to Albania, I would have answered confidently that I wouldn’t. Ahh high school, the age of misguided confidence.
It turned out that through some friends of a friend, that I would meet an Albanian guy with whom I went on a few dates. Now, it is a long time ago, and my memories of this brief time have mostly evaporated, but it is the first thing that I think about when I think about Albania. All that I remember is that this guy carried a noticeable amount of cash, he painted water towers for a living, he was a Catholic, and he got really upset with me when I made alternative plans when he never firmed up tentative ones with me. That, and I liked the way that he said Albania.
Had I been as interested in food then as I am now, it is likely that I would have attempted to cook an Albanian meal for him, not understanding that I would have been aiming, in a way, to understand where he came from. Less experienced in the kitchen, I wouldn’t have done a great job. Awkwardness would have ensued, which is ultimately what happened anyway.
When I looked into Albanian food, I read that there is little food culture associated with Albania. Yet, I read that “Albanian cuisine reflects a mixture of influences from the Turkish, Balkan, and European cuisine.” There were particular dishes that came up a few times on all of the websites I consulted. I decided to make stuffed eggplant, a vegetable pie, and chicken with walnut sauce.
My beau fully endorsed this food with a, “You can make any of that any time!”
I think that one of the things that I am learning from these cooking adventures is different ways to approach ingredients. Through this experiment, I cooked some things that I would have never before made, and slayed my irrational fear of working with filo dough. It is likely that I will make spinach pie in the future. Maybe I’ll make the eggplant again sometime, too. I probably won’t make the chicken, but will remember the sauce. I bet one could make something similar using pistachios.
Overall, I would call Albanian Adventures a success.