Fërgesë e Tiranës

Ingredients

• 6 red romano or bell peppers, about 700 g
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 500 g ripe tomatoes, or 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 300 g gjizë, or a mix of 200 g ricotta and 100 g crumbled feta
• 30 g butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 100 ml whole milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• crusty bread, to serve

Before you cook

• Deseed the peppers and cut them into two centimetre pieces.
• Peel the onion and chop it finely.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Score a cross in the base of each fresh tomato, cover them with boiling water for 30 seconds, then slip off the skins and chop the flesh.
• Crumble the gjizë into a bowl and break up any large lumps with a fork.

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium high heat.
2. Add the peppers and fry them for 8 minutes, turning now and then, until the edges blister and blacken in patches.
3. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until it softens.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it smells sweet.
5. Tip in the tomatoes along with the oregano and chilli flakes.
6. Turn the heat down, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Take the lid off and cook for another 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and jammy with no free liquid.
8. Season the pepper mixture with the salt and pepper and take the pan off the heat.
9. Heat the oven to 190C.
10. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to make a pale roux.
12. Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick.
13. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the crumbled gjizë until it melts into a thick cream.
14. Fold the cheese sauce through the pepper mixture, leaving a few streaks rather than mixing it to a uniform colour.
15. Scrape everything into a clay dish or a small baking dish.
16. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is speckled golden and the edges are bubbling.
17. Let the dish stand for 5 minutes so it firms up.
18. Scatter the parsley over and serve hot with bread for scooping.