Kosovo Tavë Kosi is a delicious baked lamb dish with rice and yogurt. The lamb is first cooked with garlic and rice and then seasoned with oregano. The dish is smothered in a yogurt egg mixture that turns golden brown and souffle like in the oven. The result is almost like a shepherds pie. It is light however and has a tartness from the yogurt. A lovely main dish for any occasion. The dish originated in Albania. Enjoy!
Kosovo Tavë Kosi (Baked Lamb and Rice with Yogurt)
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 lb. lamb shoulder trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ⁄3 cup flour
- 3 tbsp. long grain white rice
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp. finely chopped oregano
- 4 cups plain yogurt
- 1 ⁄8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 eggs
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees
- Heat 3 tbsp. butter and the oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Season lamb with salt and pepper and toss with 1⁄4 cup flour.
- Cook lamb, turning as needed, until browned, 10–12 minutes.
- Add rice, garlic, and 1⁄2 cup water; boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until rice is just tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in oregano, salt, and pepper and transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish; set aside.
- Melt remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Whisk in remaining flour; cook until smooth, 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat; whisk in yogurt, nutmeg, eggs, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Pour yogurt sauce evenly over lamb mixture.
- Bake until golden and the lamb is tender, 45–60 minutes.
Tung Darlene!! I am going to try the lamb recipe. It looks really interesting. Mark loves lamb, but I don’t like it very much. Hoping this dish can bridge the gap!
Sheryle
Thanks Sheryle, let me know how it turned out!