Tavë me presh

Ingredients

The leeks

• 1.5 kgleeks
• about 8 large leeks
• trimmed and washed very thoroughly
• cut into 3 cm lengths

The meat

• 700 gstewing beef
• cut into 3 cm cubes
• or 700 g lamb shoulder
• or 700 g minced beef
• for a quicker version

The base

• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic, sliced
• 80 mlsunflower oil
• or olive oil
• 2 tablespoonssweet paprika
• 1 teaspoonhot paprika
• 2 tablespoonstomato purée
• 2ripe tomatoes, grated

The liquid and seasoning

• 500 mlbeef stock
• or water
• 2bay leaves
• 1 teaspoondried oregano
• salt and black pepper
• chopped parsley, to finish

To serve

• crusty bread or cornbread
• a bowl of plain yoghurt
• pickled peppers, turshi
• raw onion, quartered

Directions

1. Start with the leeks, which need real attention. Trim off the root end and the toughest dark tops. Keep the pale green parts, which are perfectly good. Fan the layers open under cold running water. Keep going until no more grit comes away. Cut the cleaned leeks into pieces about three centimetres long. Put them in a bowl of cold water once cut. Swirl them hard with your hand and let them settle.
2. Lift them out rather than pouring the bowl away. Drain them well in a colander before cooking. Pat the beef cubes dry with kitchen paper. Heat half the oil in a wide heavy pan. Get it genuinely hot before the meat goes in. Brown the meat in batches, never all at once. Give each batch a few minutes on each side.
3. Lift each batch out onto a plate and set it aside. Add the remaining oil to the same pan. Add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt. Cook the onions slowly for about ten minutes. They should be soft and just beginning to colour.
4. Add the sliced garlic for the last two minutes. Now take the pan off the heat completely. Add both paprikas to the warm oil off the flame. Stir it through until the oil turns deep red. Return the pan to a low heat straight away. Add the tomato purée and cook it for a minute. Add the grated fresh tomatoes to the pan. Let it cook down for about five minutes.
5. Return the browned meat and any resting juices. Add the stock, the bay leaves and the oregano. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring it to a simmer and then cover the pan. Simmer it gently for about forty-five minutes. The meat should be starting to become tender.
6. Soak an unglazed clay tavë in water first. That soaking stops it cracking under the heat. Stir them often so they wilt without browning. They should collapse and turn glossy and soft. Layer the leeks and the meat in the baking dish.
7. Start with a layer of leeks on the bottom. Spoon over some of the meat and its sauce. Continue layering and finish with leeks on top. Pour any remaining sauce over the whole dish. The liquid should come about two thirds up. Cover the dish tightly with foil or a lid. Bake it covered for about forty-five minutes. Then uncover it and bake for twenty minutes more.
8. Scatter chopped parsley over the finished dish. Let it rest for ten minutes before serving. Use proper oven gloves and warn the table. Serve it straight from the dish while bubbling. It is a full meal and needs nothing else. Add a splash of stock if it has dried out.

Technique

• Leeks trap grit deep between their layers and there is no way to remove it after baking. Slit them lengthways, fan the layers open under running water, and run a thumb between each one. This is the step that decides whether the dish is pleasant to eat.
• Paprika burns within seconds over a live flame and turns bitter beyond rescue. Take the pan off the heat before it goes in.
• Leeks release a great deal of water in the oven, so the dish should not be swimming when it goes in. Two thirds of the way up is right.
• An unglazed clay tavë must be soaked before use and never go cold into a hot oven. Thermal shock cracks it.
• Leeks stand through hard frost when almost nothing else does, which is exactly why they anchor so many Kosovar and Albanian winter dishes. The vegetable is not a stylistic choice — it is what was available.
• The dish is eaten across Kosovo, Albania and Albanian communities in North Macedonia. The atlas lists it under one country for practical reasons and does not treat that as an origin claim.

Substitutions

• Minced beef replaces cubed stewing beef for a much quicker version, needing only about twenty minutes on the hob before baking.
• Lamb shoulder replaces beef and gives a richer, sweeter dish.
• A vegetarian version made with beans in place of meat is genuinely made, particularly during fasting periods.
• Olive oil replaces sunflower oil, though sunflower is what most households use.
• Tinned chopped tomatoes replace fresh grated ones out of season.
• Water replaces stock without much loss, since the browned meat and leeks carry the flavour.

Variations

• A version with rice added part way through the baking turns it into a fuller one-dish meal.
• Some households add sliced potatoes between the layers, which soak up the paprika sauce.
• Tavë me presh e fasule combines leeks and beans, and is a fasting version with no meat at all.
• A version topped with beaten egg and yoghurt, baked until the top sets golden, appears in some Albanian homes.
• Chicken replaces red meat in a lighter version that cooks more quickly.
• Some cooks add a spoonful of ajvar, the roasted pepper relish, to deepen the sauce.

History

Leeks stand through the Kosovar winter and fill this baked tavë, one of the region’s everyday cold-weather dishes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tavë me presh?

Tavë me presh is a main from Kosovo: casserole of leeks baked with meat and paprika. Leeks stand through the Kosovar winter and fill this baked tavë, one of the region’s everyday cold-weather dishes.

How long does Tavë me presh take to make?

Tavë me presh takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Tavë me presh?

Yes, within limits. Minced beef replaces cubed stewing beef for a much quicker version, needing only about twenty minutes on the hob before baking. Lamb shoulder replaces beef and gives a richer, sweeter dish. A vegetarian version made with beans in place of meat is genuinely made, particularly during fasting periods. Olive oil replaces sunflower oil, though sunflower is what most households use. Tinned chopped tomatoes replace fresh grated ones out of season. Water replaces stock without much loss, since the browned meat and leeks carry the flavour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tavë me presh?

Lift them out rather than pouring the bowl away. Drain them well in a colander before cooking. Pat the beef cubes dry with kitchen paper. Heat half the oil in a wide heavy pan. Get it genuinely hot before the meat goes in. Brown the meat in batches, never all at once. Give each batch a few minutes on each side.