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    Home » Europe » Pispili (Albanian Cornbread with Leeks): Cornbread vs Biscuits

    Pispili (Albanian Cornbread with Leeks): Cornbread vs Biscuits

    Published on Aug 19, 2018 Modified: Aug 9, 2020 by Alexandria Drzazgowski.

    Jump to Recipe

    Pispili is an Albanian dish that consists of cornbread filled with leeks and, in this case, feta cheese. It is common in the rural areas of Albania and can be served as either a main course or a side dish.

    Pispili sitting on leeks

    Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!

    When I think of cornbread, I inevitably think of Cracker Barrel.

    Ya’ll know Cracker Barrel, right? Old Western themed, southern style food? Off of pretty much every exit on I-75? Great cornbread? Yeah, you know the one. Whenever my family goes on a road trip, we stop at Cracker Barrel. My favorite is always the “Chicken n’ Dumplins” with a biscuit and honey on the side (P.S. Have you ever put butter and honey on your biscuit? You should do that right away.)

    Clear bowl filled with chopped leeks

    My brother, on the other hand, religiously orders the cornbread. For my entire life growing up, I would try his cornbread every time, but I never loved it enough to order it in place of my biscuit. Cracker barrel probably has the best cornbread I’ve ever had, but I still wasn’t sure if I was a TOTAL cornbread fan.

    To be honest, it kind of weirds me out that something made with corn, a savory food (normally), is sweet. That’s why this Albanian cornbread (Pispili) recipe is perfect; it’s savory! And it has feta cheese! Definitely a win in my book. In Albania, is used quite often and leeks are very popular, so this dish is a great way to get a true taste of the country.

    Some Experimentation

    Raw Pispili in a pan with leeks on top

    At first I tried to make my own recipe for this cornbread, but I got some ratios wrong and ended up using too much corn flour. The resulting bread was dry and crumbly, and not really the nice, moist taste I was going for. I’ve never made cornbread before, especially not savory cornbread with leeks, so I knew that I needed to get some help on my baking.

    I looked at When Feta Met Olive’s site for some inspiration. As it turns out, the recipe that I had made up was pretty much the same as the one posted on their site, except for the mistaken corn flour proportions. I was pretty proud that, other than my flour mishap, I was able to make up a recipe that could have worked!

    So I put together When Feta Met Olive’s recipe, and, low and behold, we had a winner. I did add some green onions because they added a little extra oomf to an already delicious recipe. I am so excited to keep learning about baking techniques and ingredients so that I can make up more of my own recipes as we go!

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    Pispili... Albanian Cornbread with Leeks

    Pispili (Albanian Cornbread with Leeks and Feta)

    Pispili is a flat, unleavened cornbread from Albania that is normally filled with leeks and feta cheese. 
    4.20 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: appetizers, breads
    Cuisine: albanian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16 pieces
    Calories: 201kcal
    Author: Alexandria Drzazgowski

    Equipment

    • Whisk
    • 9×13″ Pan 
    • Oven Mitt
    • Mixing Bowl(s)
    • Sifter 

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup yogurt
    • ¾ cup olive oil
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 ½ cup flour
    • ½ cup fine corn flour
    • 3 cups leeks, chopped
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
    • 1 cup chopped scallions

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and grease a 9×13 size pan. 
    • Cut leaves off of leeks, leaving the white stalk behind. Clean between any spaces on the stalk, because dirt hides!
    • Mix eggs, yogurt, and oil in a bowl. Add cornflour into the egg mixture and whisk together. Let sit for 3 minutes. 
    • Sift together dry ingredients and then add dry mixture to egg mixture (hand mix). Pour into pre-prepared pan.
    • Mix together leeks, feta, and scallions in a bowl and then place on top of the cornbread mixture.
    • Bake or 25-30 minutes and cut into squares. Enjoy! 

    Notes

    Recipe adapted from WhenFetaMetOlive.com

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg
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    269 shares

    Europe, Main Course Albania

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sunshine says

      November 08, 2022 at 7:09 pm

      1 star
      Dry and flavorless.

      Reply
    2. Sylvia says

      October 30, 2022 at 7:53 am

      What is Corn Flour, is it like Masa or Corn Meal

      Reply
    3. Tobie Molloy says

      March 08, 2020 at 11:36 am

      Everything is very open with a really clear clarification of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your website is very helpful. Many thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Alexandria Drzazgowski says

        March 08, 2020 at 2:46 pm

        Aw I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for the comment 🙂

        Reply
        • N says

          October 30, 2022 at 11:35 am

          Hi. This recipe sounds really delicious and I’m definitely going to try it so thanks for posting. I just wanted to tell you that cornbread can be sweet or savory. It depends on which southern food tradition/state you are going with. I grew up never having sweet cornbread unless I went to someone else’s house.

          Reply
    4.20 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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