Albanian · appetizer
Fërgesë Tirane me Gjizë (Peppers and Curd in the Pan)
Fërgesë Tirane me Gjizë (Peppers and Curd in the Pan) reads richness 5.5, allium 4.2 and salinity 3.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Albanian appetizer, about 1 hr 14 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 4.1 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 4.1 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 3.1 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 6.0 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Richness 5.5 · Allium 4.2 · Salinity 3.8 · Heat 3.8 · Sweetness 3.4 · Sourness 2.8 · Fruity 2.3 · Herbaceous 1.9 · Umami 1.9 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Bitterness 1.5 · Nutty 1.4 · Earthy 1.0 · Citrus 1.0 · Floral 0.6
What's in it (10)
- green sweet pepper — 500 g
- tomatoes — 500 g
- gjizë — 300 g
- unsalted butter — 60 g
- olive oil — 28 g
- garlic — 9 g
- salt — 8 g
- freshly ground black pepper — 3 g
- hot chili — 5 g
- all-purpose flour — 15 g
Time & effort: about 1 hr 14 min (1 hr 9 min active) · effort: involved
Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (7 steps)
- Char the peppers directly over a gas flame or under a hot grill for about 12 minutes, turning, until the skins are blackened and split.
- Put them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes to steam, then peel, seed and tear them lengthways into wide strips. Tearing rather than slicing gives ragged edges that hold the sauce.
- Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat, add the garlic and the tomatoes with the salt, pepper and the chilli if using, and cook 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes have collapsed into a thick jam and the fat is beginning to separate at the edge.
- Sprinkle over the flour and cook 2 minutes more, stirring, to bind the sauce.
- Fold in the pepper strips, then crumble in the gjizë in large pieces and fold twice only. The curd should stay in lumps, not dissolve.
- Tip into a small clay tavë and bake at 200C for 15 minutes, until the top is freckled brown and the edges bubble.
- Rest 5 minutes and eat straight from the dish with bread, as a first course or with rakia. There is a second Tirana version, fërgesë me mëlçi, built the same way with veal liver in place of the curd.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Menemen — Turkish
- Machaca con Huevo — Mexican · Norteño
- Sarson ka Saag — Indian
- Sarson ka Saag with Makki di Roti — Indian · Punjab
- Cabbage Thoran — Indian · Kerala
Keep reading: what richness, allium, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.