Tavë Dheu
(tahv theh-oo)
Tavë: The Sunday Centerpiece
In Tirana, a proper tavë is a bubbling, aggressively savory testament to the power of a clay pot and a hot oven. But you don't need a wood-fired hearth or a hard-to-find Albanian whey cheese to replicate the blistering soul of this dish on a Tuesday in Ohio. By swapping tough braising cuts for quick-cooking sirloin and deploying a precise ratio of ricotta and feta to mimic the sharp lactic tang of traditional gjizë, you get a deeply rustic, molten stew of seared beef, sweet roasted peppers, and creamy curds that tastes exactly like home, straight from a cast-iron skillet.
Before you start
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Position a sturdy rack in the center of the oven before you begin cooking.
Thoroughly dry the jarred roasted red peppers.
Pat the drained peppers completely dry with paper towels; introducing excess water from the jar will ruin the thick, luscious consistency of the stew.
Ingredients
- sirloin steak1 lb
- yellow onion1 large
- garlic4 cloves
- jarred roasted red bell peppers1 cup
- canned crushed tomatoes1 cup
- olive oil3 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- all-purpose flour1 tbsp
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- dried bay leaves3 med
- red chili flakes1/2 tsp
- dried oregano1/2 tsp
- whole milk ricotta cheese1 cup
- feta cheese1/2 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Sear the beef hard in a hot skillet.
Place a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with two tablespoons of the olive oil, add the beef cubes in a single layer, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes to build a deep brown crust before removing the meat to a plate.
- 02
Build the sofrito by sweating the alliums and peppers.
Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining oil and the butter, then sauté the diced onion for 5 minutes until soft before stirring in the minced garlic and roasted peppers for another 2 minutes.
- 03
Toast the flour and deglaze the skillet.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stir constantly for 1 minute to form a binding paste, then pour in the white wine and aggressively scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- 04
Simmer the stew with the tomatoes and herbs.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, add the bay leaves, chili flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, and the seared beef along with any resting juices, letting the mixture gently simmer for 10 minutes.
- 05
Remove the skillet from the heat to fold in the cheese.
Take the pan entirely off the stove and gently fold the ricotta and feta into the stew just until marbled; do not over-stir or the cheese proteins will scramble and break the emulsion.
- 06
Bake the casserole until violently bubbling.
Transfer the cast-iron skillet directly into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the fat separates slightly and the top forms a rustic, golden crust.
Notes
The ricotta and feta combination flawlessly replicates traditional Albanian gjizë.
Using a two-to-one ratio of whole milk ricotta to feta provides the exact creamy structure and sharp lactic tang of the native whey cheese, avoiding the watery mess that cottage cheese would create.
Cast iron perfectly mimics the thermal mass of a traditional clay tavë.
A heavy skillet holds steady, radiant heat in the oven to caramelize the edges of the casserole while keeping the center molten long after it hits the dinner table.