Paçe

Ingredients

Broth

• 1lamb head, split by the butcher, and 4 trotters, about 3 kg total
• 3 tbspcoarse salt, for scrubbing
• 4 litrescold water
• 1onion, halved
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns

Thickening

• 80 gunsalted butter
• 60 gplain flour
• 6garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbspwhite wine vinegar
• 2 tspground black pepper
• 1 tspsweet paprika

To finish

• 2egg yolks, optional
• juice of 1 lemon, optional
• extra vinegar, chilli flakes and salt, at the table

Directions

1. Scrub the head and trotters with coarse salt, singe off any remaining hair over a gas flame, and soak overnight in cold water, changing it twice.
2. Blanch everything in fresh water for 10 minutes at a rolling boil, then drain, rinse each piece under the tap and scrub the pot. This single step is what makes the difference between clean paçe and a greasy, muddy one.
3. Cover with the 4 litres fresh cold water, add the onion, bay and peppercorns and bring slowly to a bare simmer, skimming the grey foam for the first 20 minutes.
4. Simmer with the lid ajar for 4 to 5 hours, never allowing more than a lazy bubble, until the meat falls from the bones and the trotters are completely soft and sticky.
5. Lift out the solids, strain the broth through muslin and pick over the meat, discarding bone, gristle and the eyes, and chop what you keep into rough pieces.
6. Chill the broth for 30 minutes and lift most of the fat from the surface, leaving a little; you should have about 2 litres of liquid heavy enough to set to jelly when cold.
7. Make a blond roux with the butter and flour over medium heat for 3 minutes, then whisk in the hot broth a ladleful at a time so no lumps form, and simmer 15 minutes until it coats a spoon.
8. Off the heat stir in the garlic paste, vinegar, pepper and paprika, return the meat, warm through without boiling, and if you want it richer temper in the yolks beaten with lemon. Serve scalding, with more vinegar and chilli on the table.

Technique

• Paçe is a dawn soup, eaten at 5 or 6 in the morning in dedicated paçe shops before work and famously used to settle a night of raki.
• Do not boil hard at any point. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat into the broth and turns it cloudy, heavy and hard to digest.
• The garlic and vinegar go in off the heat. Cooked, garlic turns sweet and flat; raw it gives the sharp burn that defines the bowl.

Substitutions

• Head hard to source: 2 kg of trotters and 1 kg of neck bones give a similar gelatinous broth, though less of the sweet cheek meat.
• The egg and lemon liaison is optional and regional; leave it out for the plain peppery Tirana style.

Variations

• Paçe koke uses head alone and is the most prized version, sold by weight of meat in the bowl.
• Paçe me qepë simmers whole small onions in the finished broth until they collapse.

History

Soup of sheep’s head and trotters eaten early in the morning, an Ottoman-era restorative still sold at dawn.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paçe?

Paçe is a soup & stew from Albania: peppery head-meat soup, famed hangover cure. Soup of sheep’s head and trotters eaten early in the morning, an Ottoman-era restorative still sold at dawn.

How long does Paçe take to make?

Paçe takes 40 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 5 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 deep bowls. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Paçe?

Yes, within limits. Head hard to source: 2 kg of trotters and 1 kg of neck bones give a similar gelatinous broth, though less of the sweet cheek meat. The egg and lemon liaison is optional and regional; leave it out for the plain peppery Tirana style.

What is the most important thing to get right in Paçe?

Blanch everything in fresh water for 10 minutes at a rolling boil, then drain, rinse each piece under the tap and scrub the pot. This single step is what makes the difference between clean paçe and a greasy, muddy one.