Meatball soup (pasha qofte) is a characteristic dish of Gjirokastra cuisine with its one-of-a-kind distinctive taste. Yet, it stands out not only in Gjirokastra cuisine but also all over Albania. Today, this dish is not only found in city houses but in almost every restaurant, as it is one of the most hunted by local and foreign tourists.

“Pasha qofte” soup is an old dish of Gjirokastra city and its surroundings. It is also cooked and widely found in Përmet city and its surroundings.

Ingredients for 4 servings.

For the meatballs: 250 gr of minced meat, 1 onion, 1/3 teacup of rice, 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil, 3 cups of water, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.

For the soup juice (sauce): juice of 1 lemon, 1 glass of water, 2 egg yolks, and 1 spoonful of melted butter.

Making meatball soup:

Mix water and rice in a pot and let it boil for 15 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat and drain the rice, leaving it aside in a saucepan. Next, dip a finely chopped onion into the saucepan and stir with the drained rice adding the minced meat, egg white, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Mix all ingredients thoroughly by hand to bring them together until the mixture stiffens. Then, wet your hands with water so they don’t stick, and cut the prepared mixture into small walnut-size pieces.

In the meantime, mix two glasses of water and a little butter in a pot and carefully add the meatballs, stir and let them simmer on slow heat for half an hour.

Awaiting the meatballs to simmer, this process goes on with the preparation of the soup juice (sauce).

Mix two spoons of butter and two spoons of flour in a pan. Sprinkle some flour cutting through the mixture with a wooden spoon and fry the whole mixture slowly. Drizzle liquid from the pot with simmering meatballs until the mixture becomes consistent while being careful to prevent lumps. Pour the obtained creamy mixture into the pot where the meatballs are simmering.

Beat the egg yolks together with the lemon juice and add a little juice from the pot to the simmering meatballs. This is how it goes so that the egg does not curdle. Slowly pour this mixture into the pot with the simmering meatballs stirring it with a wooden spoon.

Stirring the meatballs in the pot goes over and over, while attentive to prevent spoiling the meatball’s shape. Remove the pot from the heat and serve it warm. Add melted butter and finely chopped parsley all the way off the top surface.