Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava in Turkish) is a simple Albanian dish consisting of lamb, eggs, and yogurt seasoned with a generous amount of garlic and thyme. This delicious and comforting casserole dish is dating back to the 15th century and originates from the town called "Elbasani". It is also a very popular dish in Turkey under the name "Elbasan Tava".
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Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava) is a very simple yet impressive-looking dish that you can make with a few basic ingredients you might already have in your fridge/pantry. It is also versatile. You can replace the lamb with chicken for a healthier version, or add some rice to make it more filling.
What is Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava)?
Tavë Kosi (or Elbasan Tava) is a comforting and delightful lamb casserole dish originating from Albania. It is traditionally made with lamb, yogurt, and eggs and then flavored with garlic and thyme.
This Albanian dish is also popular in Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Turkey. It is called Elbasan Tava in Turkey as it is originally from the Albanian city of Elbasan.
The history of Tavë Kosi is dating back to 1452 when Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II (Fatih Sultan Mehmet) was staking a siege of Kruja (a city in central Albania).
It is a well-known practice to marinate meat with yogurt or milk in Ottoman cuisine and I often use them for marinating Lamb Shish Kebab, Tandoori Chicken, and Shish Tawook (Turkish Chicken Kebab).
The cooks would marinate the lamb with yogurt to serve the Sultan, and keep the spiced yogurt to reuse with leftover lamb to create a casserole dish.
This delicious casserole dish is now known as Tavë Kosi and is popular throughout the country as well as in Turkey and some parts of the old Ottoman Empire.
Why This Recipe Works?
- All you need is a few simple ingredients that you might already have in your fridge/pantry.
- It is extremely easy to make Elbasan Tava without needing any special equipment.
- Tavë Kosi is also versatile, you can replace the lamb with chicken, or add some rice to make it a more substantial meal.
- The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Lamb Stew
- Lamb - Well-exercised muscles rich in collagen such as the shank, shin, or shoulder are the typical cuts of meat for this casserole dish. They have around 20% fat and they are the cut of lamb probably with the most flavor.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is a great flavoring that adds sweetness and nuttiness to dishes. Turn it into a paste with a Mortar and Pestle or grate it using a Microplane Zester Grater.
- Onions - Any type of onions including shallots would work with this recipe.
- Thyme - You can use fresh or dried thyme, and you can substitute it with oregano, rosemary, or parsley.
- Chili - It is optional, adjust the amount to your taste.
Yogurt Topping
- Yogurt - You will need plain, unsweetened natural or Greek yogurt for this recipe.
- Lamb cooking liquid - Keep the cooking liquid from the lamb stew and let it cool down to room temperature before using it.
- Eggs - Medium-sized free-range eggs are necessary to create a soufflé looking golden crust.
- Flour - Plain white/all-purpose flour helps thicken the yogurt sauce.
How to Make Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava)?
Albanian Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava) is an extremely delicious and comforting dish that is very easy and straightforward to cook. There are a few easy steps that you need to follow to achieve the best results:
Prepare the Lamb Stew
Place a Dutch oven or heavy-based pan on medium heat and add olive oil.
When the pan is heated, add the diced lamb and sauté until brown.
Lower the heat to low, add the onions, and sauté them until soft and translucent before adding the garlic.
Cook the garlic for a minute, stirring continuously to avoid it burning.
Add the salt, chili, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper along with the water.
Give it a good stir, put the lid on, and let it gently simmer for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the lamb is fork-tender.
When the lamb is cooked, remove it from the heat and strain the liquid to use it for the yogurt topping.
Let the liquid cool down for 10 minutes before using it.
Transfer the lamb meat to a medium-sized baking dish and proceed to prepare the yogurt topping.
Prepare the Yogurt Topping
Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F).
Place the eggs in a bowl and whisk them lightly.
Add the yogurt, salt&pepper, and flour to the eggs to form a roux, and then whisk in a ladle of lamb broth.
Mix well until the mixture is lump free and smooth before adding the rest of the lamb broth.
Pour the yogurt mixture on top of the lamb meat evenly and place the dish into the preheated oven.
Bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the yogurt crust is golden brown and puffed up.
Serve immediately when still warm.
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Top Tips From the Chef
- Use a cut of lamb with at least %20 fat content. Lean meat will have a big impact on both the texture of the meat and the sauce. So stick with the shoulder, neck, shank, or shin for the best results.
- Sear the lamb before adding the other ingredients as it has a huge impact on the flavor. Make sure your Dutch oven/pan is heated thoroughly before adding the diced lamb.
- Let the liquid cool down for 10 minutes before adding it to the yogurt and egg mixture.
- You can trim the extra fat from the meat and use fat-free greek yogurt if you want to create a lower-fat Elbasan Tava dish.
Recipe FAQs
You can keep the leftovers for up to five days when refrigerated in an airtight container. If you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
You can prepare this dish up to three days in advance and bake it before serving it. The flavor will intensify as the lamb stew sits in the fridge.
This delightful lamb casserole is a filling dish and you won't need anything else than a bowl of refreshing salad such as Beetroot and Feta Salad, Baba Ganoush Without Tahini, Persian Shirazi Salad, or Taboule (Lebanese Tabouli Salad).
Related Recipes
For more delicious lamb recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Albanian Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava) as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava)
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
For the Lamb Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 700 g lamb shoulder (diced)
- 2 medium onions (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon flaked chili
- 300 ml water
For the Yogurt Topping
- 400 g Greek yogurt
- 125 g flour
- 2 medium eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup cooking liquid from lamb
Instructions
Preparing the Lamb Stew
- Place a Dutch oven or heavy-based pan on medium heat and add olive oil.
- When the pan is heated, add the diced lamb and sauté until brown.
- Lower the heat to low, add the onions, and sauté them until soft and translucent before adding the garlic.
- Cook the garlic for a minute, stirring continuously to avoid it burning.
- Add the salt, chili, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper along with the water.
- Give it a good stir, put the lid on, and let it gently simmer for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the lamb is fork-tender.
- When the lamb is cooked, remove it from the heat and strain the liquid to use it for the yogurt topping.
- Let the liquid cool down for 10 minutes before using it.
- Transfer the lamb meat to a medium-sized baking dish and proceed to prepare the yogurt topping.
Preparing the Yogurt Topping
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F).
- Place the eggs in a bowl and whisk them lightly.
- Add the yogurt, salt&pepper, and flour to the eggs to form a roux, and then whisk in a ladle of lamb broth.
- Mix well until the mixture is lump free and smooth before adding the rest of the lamb broth.
- Pour the yogurt mixture on top of the lamb meat evenly and place the dish into the preheated oven.
- Bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the yogurt crust is golden brown and puffed up.
Notes
- Use a cut of lamb with at least %20 fat content. Lean meat will have a big impact on both the texture of the meat and the sauce. So stick with the shoulder, neck, shank, or shin for the best results.
- Sear the lamb before adding the other ingredients as it has a huge impact on the flavor. Make sure your Dutch oven/pan is heated thoroughly before adding the diced lamb.
- Let the liquid cool down for 10 minutes before adding it to the yogurt and egg mixture.
- Trim the extra fat from the meat and use fat-free greek yogurt if you want to create a lower-fat Elbasan Tava dish.
- You can keep the leftovers for up to five days when refrigerated in an airtight container. If you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Katia
This looks as good as my late auntie used to make for us. Thank you for sharing it x
Martha
This turned out delicious! I will try with chicken next time.