Albanian Pite me mish

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g flour
• 150 ml water, lukewarm
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oil
• 500 g minced meat of your choice
• 1 onion(s)
• salt and pepper
• Vegeta
• Oil for the work surface and for brushing

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

Mix flour, lukewarm water, salt, and oil into a dough. The dough should be soft enough that if you make a hollow in it, it disappears again. Form 4 equal-sized balls from the dough, then roll each ball out to the size of a plate. Now rub the work surface with oil and generously brush each ball with oil. Then fold the balls together and set aside. It is important that the balls are placed on an oiled surface so that the dough does not stick. Let them rest for about 20-25 minutes. In the meantime, chop the onion and fry it with the minced meat in a little oil. Season with salt, pepper, and Vegeta. Brush a tepsi, a traditional Albanian round baking sheet, generously with oil. Rub the work surface with oil, take a ball of dough, and unfold it. The oil will now make the ball extremely stretchy. Now pull the dough from the center outwards until it is transparent. Tear off the thick edges or cut off with a knife. Take some of the minced meat filling and place it in a line on the dough, then roll the dough up, shape it into a snail, and place it in the tepsi. Repeat this step until no more dough is left. Expand the snails in the tepsi. If necessary, the leftover dough can be formed into a ball, rolled out, brushed with oil again, and left to rest for about 10-15 minutes before further processing. Brush the unbaked pite with oil. Preheat the oven to 250°C (top/bottom heat) and bake the pite for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Tips: It’s best to eat the pite warm. If you don’t want to eat it right away, simply wrap the tepsi in aluminum foil and enjoy it later. Pite is best served with natural yogurt. A tepsi is a traditional Albanian round baking sheet; you can also use a round casserole dish. It’s best to work the dough on a table covered with a washable tablecloth. Not everything will work perfectly the first time—practice makes perfect. Pitta can also be filled with spinach and/or cheese—there’s a separate recipe for that. There are many variations of pitta, and everyone does it differently. This is the way I learned it from my grandmother in Kosovo.