Following is the original post I posted 3 years ago, our first St. Nicholas here in Albania St Nicholas 2012.
Much has changed since then with the passing of my aunt Bardha who was instrumental in our indoctrination to the customs of this day and the passing of my uncle Dede earlier this year.
Therefore, I have decided to change our celebration. Since we are not so much into ‘sacrificing’ a live chicken I have taken the easy way out by just buying a nice, frozen kilo of chicken fillets, which I have cooked a l’Italiana and not so much in the traditional Albanian method of roasting it with potatoes. Chicken is chicken after all so why not mix it up a bit, especially if you’re not too keen on actually killing a live chicken.
My dinner was pretty delicious: tortelli with panna, chicken scaloppine in a smooth lemon/wine sauce with mushrooms, steamed fava beans drizzled with butter and a nice bottle of Montepulcino d’Abbruzzo, some warm Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and to finish it off a delicious, traditional Albanian dessert: Tres Leches topped with Carmel.
DISCOVERING ALBANIA 