Albania...That's What I'm Balkan About!

Today's stop...Albania. What's in Albania? Lots of Muslims, plenty of mountains, and more sheep than you can shake your staff at. Just ask any local sheep herder. So, of course, I prepared lamb. Lamb and okra, to be exact. Now, this is called a stew. This isn't the kind of stew that is just like soup, only thicker. This is a stew you can eat off of a plate, using a fork. I know, because that is how I ate it. The addition of okra made this a tasty treat, even if it was a little less spicy than I am used to. Enter paprika.

I started out with a little less than a pound of stewing meat. Specifically, the neck. I cut the meat off the bone, and seared it for a couple of minutes in olive oil. Setting this aside, I trimmed the ends of the okra, 12 ounces worth, and rinsed them off. I cut up two medium green peppers into cubes, and did the same with half a red onion.

I put the okra in a dry skillet, and heated them on high for about five minutes, continuously moving them about with a Teflon spatula. I wanted to dry them out, not burn them. Then, I added the onion, green pepper, and two cups of celery that I had diced. I minced 4 cloves of garlic into the mix, added some salt and pepper, and cooked it for 10 minutes on high, being careful to keep it moving so that it would not stick. Then, I added half a cup of water, the lamb, and a quarter teaspoon of thyme. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I grated a whole lemon peel saving the zest. I also found the paprika. After simmering the goodies for 20 minutes, I sprinkled paprika on top, then the zest.

Like I said, this recipe was a little blander than what I usually make; but it did provide a hearty meal. Now I know what gives them shepherds the stamina to chase all those sheep around.




ALBANIAN LAMB STEW WITH OKRA:

12 oz Okra, fresh and trimmed
2 Green bell peppers, diced
2 cups Celery (about 1 bunch)
1 Small to medium onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Water
1 lb Seared lamb, cut into cubes
1/4 tsp Thyme
Paprika
Grated lemon rind (zest)