Simple Rice Pudding (Qumësht me Oriz)

Simple Rice Pudding (Qumësht me Oriz)

It seems that this is one of those recipes where it is made everywhere, although each will vary on how to make it. For us, our milk comes from a neighbours cow brought to us each morning, we then boil the milk and let it cool before using it. This simple rice pudding is creamy when hot and firm when cold - perfect.

2 - 4 People

40 Minutes

Ingredients:

-                 200g Pudding Rice (Flaked rice can also be used)

-                 1,2 Litres Full Fat Milk

-                 40g Sugar

Directions:

In a large pan add the milk and rice, cook on a medium heat bringing the milk to the boil – ensure to stir frequently.

Once to the boil and milk has risen, reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to stir while simmering until the mixture becomes thick (no liquid milk should be left) – this process should take 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in the sugar straight away before serving into bowls.

Ravani

Ravani

The Albanian Ravani (also known as Revani) is similar to the English sponge cake but denser in texture due to the Yogurt. I can eat Ravani all day long and is often eaten as a pudding warm and cold in the morning. Most cakes, sweets and biscuits are like this in Albania, each have two ways of serving.

Traditionally Ravani is cut into diamonds to serve, but I love using slices to form shapes and using them as center pieces on the dinner table.

6 - 8 People

10 Minutes

Ingredients:

-                 2 Eggs

-                 2 Cups Sugar

-                 2 Cups Yogurt

-                 1 Tsp Baking Soda

-                 Flour

-                 Olive Oil

Directions:

Mix the eggs, sugar, yogurt and soda together until a smooth mixture is formed.

Add two handfuls of flour and mix, continue to add flour until the mixture has thicken (when dripping some mixture onto of itself it should take more then 3 seconds to soak back in).

Use a large baking tray about 2 inches deep and grease with the olive oil.

Pour the mixture into the tray and bang the tray a couple of times to ensure the mixture in flat.

Place the tray into a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 180 degrees and cook for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and feel firm like an arm muscle.

Turn the oven off, leaving the cake inside and door open for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cut into diamonds, squares or slices.

Optional: Once cooled and cut, boil some sugar and water to form a sugar water and then pour it over the cake. Leave for two hours before serving as a pudding.

Flour Hallva (Hallvë)

Flour Hallva (Albanian Name: Hallvë)

Soft, delicious, confection. The word halva (alternatively halwa, halvah, halava, helva, halawa etc.), originally derived from the Arabic root (sweet), is used to describe many distinct types of sweet confection, across the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Balkans. Halva based on semolina is popular in India, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Another common type, based on tahini (sesame paste), is more popular in the eastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions, in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina Northern Cyprus, Syria, Central Asia, Caucasus region and Turkey as well as the Palestinian territories. Halva may also be made from a variety of other ingredients, including sunflower seeds, various nuts, beans, lentils, and vegetables—such as carrots, pumpkins, yams, and squashes

Prep 15 mins

Cook 1 hr

Servings 8 

Ingredients:

-                 1 glass flour

-                 1 glass margarine

-                 1 1/4 glasses granulated sugar

-                 5 glasses water

Directions:

Heat the margarine in a saucepan very gently, and Sauté the flour until golden brown in the margarine for 40 minutes over low to moderate heat. When the flour turns light golden, put the sugar and water in a separate saucepan and make syrup by boiling gently. Add the syrup to the saucepan with flour and simmer for 20 minutes, and then take out small pieces of the Hallva with a wooden spool, form into balls and place on a serving plate. Serve warm.

Butter Biscuits (Biskota Gjalpë)

Butter Biscuits (Biskota Gjalpë)

All biscuits in Albania are simple and can have sugar water added to them to form puddings. These butter biscuits use butter (homemade Albanian butter is amazing in this recipe!) and sugar to sweeten them.

We make these in the early evening, adding chocolate chips or marshmallows to them to make a treat snack with my children's milk - warm, soft and chewy, you have to eat more then one!

6 People

10 Minutes

Ingredients:

-                 1 Cup Sugar

-                 1 Cup Butter (then half melted)

-                 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda

-                 1 Cup Flour

-                 1 Tbsp Golden Syrup (Optional)

-                 1 Drop Vanilla Essence (Optional)

Directions:

Mix the sugar, butter and syrup together. Add the flour, soda and vanilla and fold into a dough. With flour on your hands, break the dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into balls. Place on a greased / lined baking tray 5cm apart and use the palm of your hand to flatten slightly.

Sprinkle with some sugar. Place in the oven at 180 degree for 12-15 minutes. The butter biscuits should be a light golden and squishy in the middle. Leave to firm for 5 minutes before serving.

Albanian Rice pudding

Albanian Rice pudding

Rice pudding is a dessert enjoyed by people of different cultures all over the world. It is made by combining rice with a sweetener and other ingredients often including milk. Those who prize rice pudding often regard it as a comfort food. Others find some of the varieties to be unpleasantly bland and glutinous. 

Ingredients:

-                 One quart of milk

-                 1/2 teacup of rice

-                 2 teaspoons of Sugar

-                 1/2 of a nutmeg grated

-                 a small piece of butter, size of hickory-nut.

Directions:

Pick and wash the rice; add all the ingredients.

Stir all well together, and put in a slack oven one and half to two hours.

When done pour it in a pudding dish, and serve when cold.

If baked in an oven, take off the brown skin before it is poured in the pudding-dish, and replace it on the Sop of the pudding as before.