Traditional Albanian grosh — the warm dish with beans and boiled wheat

Grosh is one of the most beloved and traditional dishes of Albanian cuisine: pllaqi beans and wheat boiled slowly until they become creamy, with hot olive oil and hot red pepper on top. A simple, cheap and very nutritious dish — ideal for the cold days of autumn.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 servings):

• 400 g pllaqi beans (dried)
• 200 g wheat (hulled)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1.5 litres of water

PREPARATION STEPS:

1. Wash the beans and the wheat and leave them to soak in cold water overnight (at least 8 hours), so they soften and cook faster.
2. Rinse them well, place them in a deep pot with 1.5 litres of fresh water and boil over medium heat for about 1 hour, until the beans and wheat are well softened. Remove the foam that forms on the surface.
3. Add the chopped onion and the garlic, and continue boiling for a further 20–30 minutes, until the dish thickens and takes the form of a creamy grosh.
4. In a small pan, heat the olive oil with the hot red pepper for 1–2 minutes, taking care not to burn it — this “fried oil” gives grosh its characteristic flavour.
5. Pour the hot oil with the pepper over the grosh, add the salt and pepper, mix well and leave it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
6. Serve warm in deep plates, with village bread, pickled peppers and olives alongside, as tradition demands.

Preparation time: 15 minutes (+ 8 hours soaking) | Cooking time: about 1 hour 30 minutes | Servings: 6