Alida Malushi
BALKAN BITES
17
KOSOVO
An Albanian born and raised in Kosovo, formerly of Yugoslavia; a student of literature who quotes Bourdieu; a journalist; an intellectual; a successful professional—Alida went to work one day in her mid-twenties amid the developing Kosovo War only to discover that her TV station had been entirely shut down.
That was the last straw. What else could she do with no means to do her work and tell her stories? She and her husband considered various places to move to, like Norway, where she had international journalist friends, but in the end warily settled on the US, since most of her family was going there.
Alida’s only son was born soon after her move to New Jersey and helped give her a new sense of belonging and purpose in this strange place, so soon after her home had been destroyed. Skeptical of the American education system and its ability to give children of immigrants a robust sense of self, she worked hard to supplement her son’s education with world history and language lessons, as well as philosophical concepts she was sad to see omitted from his public school curriculum. More than that, she wanted to make sure he never saw political disaster in his home as she had in hers. As soon as she got her citizenship, she exercised her right to vote—at every opportunity that presented itself.
She also found a new calling in food. “After journalism, food was my second passion. Whenever I cook, I feel it’s like meditation. You know—you focus on what you’re doing; you want to make people happy; you want to experience a new taste. So all my life is around food. When I came to this country I went to the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and graduated in 1995, and since then I am in the food business—or industry—how they call it today. I worked in the Hilton Hotel, worked in a French restaurant, had for a short time my own pastry shop—I had all kinds of different experiences.”
During this time, Alida always cooked at home. Family gatherings were a chance to share her favorite recipes from Kosovo with nostalgic family and fellow Albanian refugee friends, as well as with the younger US-born generation, and new friends and neighbors who were sometimes tasting these foods for the first time.
“Then I paused for some years: my mother had developed Alzheimer’s, so somehow, for a couple of years, I was cut off from everything, because she lived with me and I had to take care of her. She passed away almost two years ago, and then my niece Ariana, my brother’s only daughter, she had this idea.”
Ariana asked Alida to learn traditional Albanian recipes that Alida’s mother, Magbule, used to make. They would get together on Sundays to bake and share stories about Magbule. Then one Sunday while they were making burek, they decided that they should start selling their creations at pop-up markets. Now that’s all Alida does, workwise.
“Our main idea doing this is to give people another experience. Because all people in the world are the same, except for three things that are unique and make them different: It’s language, food, and music. Everything else is the same.”
BALKAN ĆEVAPI
Grilled Meat Patties
Family BBQs in the US might evoke thoughts of hamburgers and hot dogs, but in the Balkans, family BBQs involve ćevapi. You might eat five or ten of these thumb-shaped meat thingies in a sitting, usually with somun, or lepinja—a fluffy, triple-rise flatbread made out of milk; kajmak, a Balkan clotted cream; ajvar, a red pepper spread; sliced sweet onions; and a shepherd’s salad. Since Kosovo is majority Muslim, the ćevapi there are usually made of beef and lamb as opposed to pork. ćevapi also freeze well uncooked.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1¼ pounds (565 g) ground beef
(90 percent lean if possible)
12 ounces (340 g) ground lamb
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
3 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and form into finger-length sausages; they should be as thick as your thumb.
3. Grill them over medium heat on a hot grill for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning them several times, until they are brown on all sides and cooked through. (A charcoal grill is recommended for the smoky flavor, but any grill or grill pan will work.)
4. Serve them hot, right from the grill.
BALKAN BAKLAVA
As Alida explains it, if handmade baklava comes to you as a gift, it means the highest honor and respect. Making baklava from scratch is a laborious process, especially with the layers and layers of paper-thin phyllo dough. These days, most people make baklava from store-bought phyllo because of the convenience. It is still delicious and will surely impress your guests. It’s sweet, nutty, and flaky, and the tartness of the raisins helps balance out the sugary syrup.
Makes 24 pieces
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 pound (455 g) walnuts
3 cups (600 g) plus ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
Zest of ½ lemon
1 pound (455 g) phyllo dough (24 phyllo sheets), thawed
½ cup (80 g) golden raisins
1 lemon, sliced
3 tablespoons honey
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a deep 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan that has sides at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep. (If you use a smaller pan, just cut the phyllo sheets to fit.)
2. Pulse the walnuts, ¼ cup (50 g) of the sugar, and the lemon zest in a food processor until finely chopped. You should end up with about 4 cups .
3. Cut the 24 phyllo sheets in half crosswise. You should have 48 sheets that measure about 9 x 13 inches (23 x 33 cm).
4. Lay 4 phyllo sheets in the prepared pan, then spread about 2⅛3 cup (85 g) of the walnut mixture and about 1½ tablespoons of the raisins on the top.
5. Place 4 more phyllo sheets on top, then add the walnuts and raisins as in the previous step. Repeat this step 4 more times, ending with 4 phyllo sheets on top.
6. Melt the butter and pour over the baklava. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the baklava from the oven.
7. Combine the remaining 3 cups (600 g) sugar, the lemon, and 2 cups (480 ml) water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat until it reaches a syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. Add the honey, stir to combine, and remove from the heat.
8. Pour the hot syrup over the baklava. Let stand, uncovered, until it cools to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving.
9. Before serving, cut with a sharp knife into 24 squares (6 lengthwise by 4 widthwise) and serve at room temperature.