Rooster pie (lakrori me kokosh) is a recipe for which Gjirokastra city and its surrounding areas take credit. This dish has been passed down over generations for centuries. It is otherwise known as Libohova lakrori and is cooked with rooster flesh, onions, and roasted sheets. It is one of the most incredibly flavorsome dishes, which brings together the whole family and friends on special occasions. It can also be cooked with lamb, hogget, mutton, and wild rabbit meat.

This dish is mainly cooked on occasions of family celebrations, birthdays, engagements, and marriages. Making lakrori (pie) starts early in the morning and takes 3-4 hours.

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 rooster about 1.5 kg, 2 kg onion, 200 ml oil, water, 1 kg flour, salt, 300-400 ml of tepid water, salt, and black pepper.

Making rooster pie:

First, clean the rooster flesh with running water and cut it anatomically into chunks of meat. Using a sharp knife, chop the onions thinly into rings. Put a deep pot on the stovetop adding in the olive oil. As soon as the oil is heated, dip the finely chopped onions adding the chunks of rooster flesh. Stir this mixture with a wooden spoon until the onion has turned lightly gold and the meat lightly browned. Further, cover the rooster flesh with water, adding a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Leave the pot on medium heat until the meat is cooked. In the time it is simmering, the next step is preparing the dough for the pastry sheets. Tip the flour into a pan or on a surface and make a well in the center adding water and a little pinch of salt. Knead the dough to bring it together until it has leavened. The dough should be smooth and not stick to the hands. After letting it rest for a while, cut the dough into 50 small balls. Next, roll out these balls in a forward motion, and once ready, put them in a dry place. Out of the batch, bake 10-15 pastry sheets in the oven and then crack them in a roasting pan in such a way that they don’t further shatter. By the time they are slightly dried, drop the rest of the pastry sheets one by one into the pan, sprinkling them with a touch of oil. This is how the “heel” of the pie or otherwise, the base layer of the pie is created. Next, remove the meat chunks from the pot and dip the baked pie sheets into the meat stock. Stir them slowly and let them simmer until the cooking juice is slightly thickened and a consistent mixture is created. Add this juice to the pastry sheets already put in the pan, paying attention to prevent spilling it out. What comes next, is spreading the meat chunks evenly on the pan.