Albanian Green Salad Recipes

ALBANIAN NEW YEAR'S EVE SALAD (SALLATE RUSE)

Steps:

• Soak the beans in water overnight.
• Add beans to instant pot or pressure cooker, add about 3 cups of water and cook in the beans/chili setting for about 1 hour. Add a little longer if you didn't soak the beans. Use natural release function to release the steam.
• Peel the potatoes, dice them and add to a small pot. Start cooking them. Do the same with carrots. Cook separately. Add green peas to a separate pot and cook them too. These 3 vegetables are cooked separately because they need different cooking times.
• Cook peas, potatoes and carrots until you can pierce them with a fork but not until they become so soft like puree. You want the salad to have some shape to it, not become mush.
• Drain the beans, peas, potatoes and carrots. In the meantime dice the dill pickles and slice heart of palm.
• Start by combining potatoes, peas and carrots in a salad bowl. Then add pickles, beans and heart of palm.
• Finally add mayonnaise, lemon juice and salt. Start mixing everything carefully, almost like you're folding the vegetables into the mayonnaise. You don't want to vigorously mix everything together.
• Place salad bowl in the refrigerator.
• Boil eggs and beets separately. Drain roasted peppers (this I used from a jar).
• When salad is ready to be served, add sliced eggs on top, beets and roasted peppers. Decorate with chopped parsley. Serve cold.

SALLATë JESHILE - GREEN SALAD

Steps:

• Mix together all the vegetables and olives.
• Whisk together the dressing and pour over the salad just prior to serving.
• Toss gently and serve.

CAFE GREEN SALAD

Steps:

• 3 cups mixed greens, the darker the better (not iceberg)
• Rub the inside of a large wooden bowl with the garlic clove and then either discard it or save it for another use. Put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (a French secret!) vigorously for about 10 seconds to get a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil as slowly as possible with 1 hand while whisking as quickly as possible with the other hand to emulsify. Lay the salad greens on top of the dressing and toss just before serving.

THE GREENEST GREEN SALAD

Steps:

• Line a large plate with paper towels. Set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the snap peas, and cook until just tender, about 90 seconds. Use a strainer to remove the peas onto the prepared plate, and spread out in a single layer. Allow to cool and dry completely (the dressing won't stick to a wet snap pea). Cut each pea in half crosswise on the bias.
• In a large bowl, combine the snap peas, romaine, cucumbers and green onions. Mix well to combine. Add the avocado and about half the dressing. Mix gently with your hands until the salad is well coated with dressing, adding more if necessary. Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve cold, immediately. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 1 week.

ALBANIAN TOSSED SALAD

Steps:

• Toast almonds or sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 3 minutes or so, stirring and watching carefully so as not to burn. Set aside.
• Add lettuce, red onion, black olives, green bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms(if using) and Feta cheese to large serving bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, dried oregano, paprika, fresh lemon juice, and ground black pepper.
• Pour vinaigrette over vegetables and serve immediately.

ALBANIAN STEWED GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES WITH SMOKEY SEITAN

Steps:

• Heat a medium pot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When hot enough, add the seitan and saute until golden on all sides about 4-5 minutes. Towards the end at the liquid smoke and Smoked Salt. Remove from pot and set aside.
• Now add about 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil to the pot. Add the onions and saute for a good 8 minutes until they are translucent and tender. If your pot has burned pieces from the seitan, deglaze it with a bit of vegetable broth. Add the garlic and saute for a minute until fragrant. Now it's time to add the green beans and potatoes. Saute the green beans and potatoes for about 5 minutes.
• Now add the tomato, paprika, oregano, chili flakes and season with salt and pepper. Saute for another two minutes. Add the vegetable broth or water and bring to a boil and then to a simmer. After a couple of minutes add the seitan that you have set aside. Simmer the stew for about 45-50 minutes until the green beans and potatoes are tender. If the stew starts to get dry simply add some more broth. Re-season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Remember to not go heavy on the salt because the Smokey Seitan is salt already from the smoked salt. Let the stew sit for 15 minutes or you can eat it has soon has it finished cooking.
• I like to serve these stewed green beans with some rice, bread, and a side salad or vegetable.

JOY'S GREEN BANANA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the ends off of the bananas, and make a slit lengthwise down the peel. Cook bananas in boiling water until tender (similar to a potato). Drain, cool, and remove peels. Cut into small chunks and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the pieces, and stir to coat.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and crab, and fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Add onions, green pepper and seafood to the bananas in the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, sugar and bacon pieces. Pour this mixture over the bananas, and toss lightly to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with slices of hard-cooked egg if desired.