Qull with walnuts and chicken: one of Elbasan's oldest dishes

Qull me arra e pulë, qull with walnuts and chicken, is one of the oldest traditional dishes of Elbasan. It is cooked slowly and served in a clay dish (tavë balte).

Ingredients (serves 4–5)

• 1 free-range village chicken
• 400 g walnuts
• 4 spoonfuls of flour
• 200 g butter
• 2–3 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 spoonful of vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt

Method

1. Salt the chicken, rub it with butter and olive oil, add water and roast it in the oven. It should stay moist after roasting.
2. Meanwhile, crush the walnuts or grind them in a machine with the garlic and salt. Put them in a bowl and cover with warm water to soften.
3. Fry the flour in the butter until it turns the colour of wheat.
4. Add the walnuts, then the chicken juices and a little vinegar, stirring continuously until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
5. Put the mixture in a clay dish or in several small clay dishes, with a piece of chicken in each small dish.
6. Bake in the oven until the fat rises to the surface.

Serve it lukewarm, not hot.

Taste it on a tour

We can add a home-cooking visit or a traditional lunch to any tailor-made trip. Just mention it when you plan your trip.