Albanian fergese (Baked peppers, tomatoes and cheese)
1 hour
Fergese is one of Albania’s national dishes and what I love most about it is that it can be widely adapted. This is a vegetarian version with peppers called Fergesë e Tiranës me piperka. To make this the authentic way, cook it in small ovenproof clay dishes which are typically 15cm in diametre and 5cm deep.
3 people made this
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 1 onion, chopped
- olive oil for frying
- 5 red peppers, roasted and chopped
- 1 (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 20g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 150g feta cheese
- 40g Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon chill flakes
- salt and pepper
Method
Prep:15min ›
Cook:45min ›
Ready in:1hr
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
- Sweat the onion in a few drops olive oil in a frying pan until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Simmer the peppers, tomatoes and basil on a medium to high heat, until thickened with little liquid remaining, about 10 minutes. Mix in the onion and set aside to cool.
- In a separate small saucepan melt the butter. Mix in the flour and stir to make a roux. Crumble in the feta while stirring quickly. Once all has melted, you should have a thick texture. Add the yogurt.
- Mix the feta and yogurt mixture into the pepper and tomatoes mixture. Season with the chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
- Split into 2 small ovenproof dishes or clay dishes and bake till bubbly, about 30 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before serving. It is best served with crusty bread.
Tip
You can add 400 to 500g diced and browned chicken or liver to this Albanian dish. Mix it in before dividing it into individual dishes.
