Elbasan tava — Turkey

Elbasan tava layers cubes of veal or lamb with rice in a baking dish, then covers them with a tangy sauce of yogurt whisked with egg and a little flour before the whole dish finishes baking until the top sets into a light golden crust. This version is reported from Turkey, where it is prepared as a baked one-dish meal combining meat, rice and a yogurt sauce rather than serving the elements separately, a style found among the Ottoman-influenced baked meat-and-rice dishes of the wider region. Preparation starts with browning the meat, then partly cooking it with a little broth or water until nearly tender. Rice, sometimes previously parboiled, is spread with the meat in an oiled baking dish. A sauce of yogurt, beaten egg and flour is whisked smooth and poured over the top, and the dish is baked uncovered until the sauce sets into a firm, golden layer over the meat and rice. What distinguishes this baked version from a plain rice pilaf served with stewed meat is the yogurt-and-egg topping baked directly onto the dish, which forms a custard-like crust rather than a poured sauce, and ties the meat, rice and topping into a single baked whole.