TAVË DHEU
Traditional Albanian slow cooked beef in tomato sauce with cheese.
Serves 4 , Ready in 3-4 hours
Tavë dheu served with fresh bread
One of the ultimate Albanian comfort foods! Tender beef that has been slowly cooked in a rich tomato sauce, with tangy cheese stirred through at the end. Trust me, you’re going to love this one!
This dish is great for entertaining and can easily be prepared and frozen ahead of time. Freeze after stage 3 and then follow the next stages once defrosted again.
You can also serve the tavë dheu after stage 4 or, for an authentic version, place into small ceramic dishes and bake in the oven until bubbling hot.
Traditional Albanian Tavë Dheu
INGREDIENTS
500g Cubed beef
Flour, 1 tablespoon
1 Onion, finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 Red peppers, chopped
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
250ml Beef stock
200g Ricotta
100g Feta
4 Bay Leaves
Chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
METHOD
Heat a little oil in a large casserole dish and add the beef chunks and flour. Stir to coat, season and fry until browned. Remove and set aside for later.
Add the onion, garlic and peppers to the casserole dish and fry until soft. Season well and add the beef back into the pot.
Add the tinned tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves and chilli and simmer on a low heat for at least 3 hours until the beef is tender.
Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves, check seasoning and stir through the ricotta and feta.
Heat the oven to 190 degrees.
Serve the tavë dheu into small ceramic dishes and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until bubbling hot.
Serve straight away with a crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce.
Traditional Albanian Tavë Dheu served with fresh bread