Monthly Archives: March 2011

Family Dinner in Peshkëpi

Posted on March 30, 2011 by rrettenmier

This past weekend we were very lucky to have some beautiful weather so we took advantage of our recently purchased patio furniture. Friday night Dan picked up some Kocë, or Sea Bream fish, from the fish truck on his way home. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Leave a comment

Gjellë me Arra – Recipe #3

Posted on March 30, 2011 by rrettenmier

Gjellë me Arra means dish with nuts and is traditionally made in Albania with either chicken or veal and walnuts. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons flour, 15 finely crushed walnuts, 2 egg yolks beaten, 1 garlic clove minced, 1/4 lb butter, 2-3 lbs veal … Continue reading →

Posted in Albanian Food & Drink | Leave a comment

Day Trip

Posted on March 25, 2011 by rrettenmier

Tuesday, March 22nd was a public holiday in Albania called Nevruz, to mark the coming of Spring. Dan had the day off work and we were invited to go to Tirana with Natasha and her husband Bardhyl. Bardhyl just published his 4th book and … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Leave a comment

Power Outages

Posted on March 21, 2011 by rrettenmier

Yesterday we experienced our second power outage. My first experience was last Tuesday. The power went out at around 9:00am. I went into town that morning with Vefi and Natasha to do some shopping for Turkish coffee supplies. When I got … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Leave a comment

Fasule – Recipe #2

Posted on March 19, 2011 by rrettenmier

Over the past few weeks we have had the pleasure of some of our friends sharing their home cooking with us. A couple of weeks ago Dan came home with a stew like dish that Ilya’s wife, Fatie, made the night before. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Albanian Food & Drink | Leave a comment

The island of Zvernec(i)

Posted on March 19, 2011 by rrettenmier

This morning we went to Zvernec(i), which is a small uninhabited island 8km north of Vlora. Ilya and his family picked us up at 9:15am and we were off. We drove past Plazhi i Vjeter(the Old beach), through a forest of pines and firs, and arrived … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | 2 Comments

What is the Food Like?

Posted on March 16, 2011 by rrettenmier

A common question we have been asked regarding Albania is “What is the Food like?”. Answer: Delicious and cheap. The food is Meditterranean with some Greek, Italian and Turkish influences. Most of the produce in the markets is seasonal and deliciously fresh. … Continue reading →

Posted in Albanian Food & Drink | Leave a comment

Berat

Posted on March 15, 2011 by rrettenmier

On Saturday March 12th, 2011 we took our first day trip to Berat with Ilya, Dan’s coworker, his wife and two children. We set out in the morning, travelling North through Fier, then East towards Berat. At 2400 years old, Berat is one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Leave a comment

Tave Kosi – Recipe #1

Posted on March 8, 2011 by rrettenmier

Our first attempt at Albanian cooking was Tave Kosi, one of Albania’s most famous dishes. Basically it is Baked Lamb and Yogurt. We enjoyed the flavour, but the lamb cut wasn’t the greatest and we seemed to have a lot of the egg/yogurt mixture … Continue reading →

Posted in Albanian Food & Drink | Leave a comment

First Week/end in Vlora

Posted on March 7, 2011 by rrettenmier

Well it has been one week since we moved to Vlora and we have enjoyed our first week/weekend here. We spent most of the week taking care of apartment things-we had to get a new fridge installed, the dishwasher set … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Leave a comment