Laura Daniels’ DELICIOUS (and Crazy Fattening) Albanian Side Dish Recipe — “Drope” [PHOTOS]
We all have our own favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner. The immediate thought would be the main event -- the turkey. But most of us actually prefer the sides.
I know I do, especially the traditional side that I can almost guarantee has never been on your table...but it should be!
My Albanian heritage is one I'm very proud of, since the family's humble beginnings in this country. And while "drope" isn't exactly a Google-able term, it's on our turkey day table every year.
CAUTION: This is NOT in any way, shape or form diet-friendly. If you're diabetic, watching your weight, or care about your arteries in any way, don't make this.
It also is a labor of love. It takes at LEAST an hour of babysitting. Are you ready? You need:
- 1-2 loaves of white sandwich bread (I really find Tops brand has worked the best), torn
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 lb (4 sticks) butter, melted
- 1 c. raisins
- 1 c. chopped walnuts
Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces (you must do this by hand to be authentic) and put in large cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed pot. Turn burner on medium-high.
Add walnuts, and SLOWLY begin to drizzle in butter (maybe 1/3 of it). This is when the constant stirring comes in (use a wooden spoon). Essentially what you're doing is toasting the nuts, bread, and butter. You're going for a light golden color.
Continue slowly tossing, drizzling in the butter a little more at a time, and start sprinkling in the sugar. Here, you're trying to caramelize everything. It's gonna get a little goopy as the butter and sugar mesh together. Keep stirring.
Add the raisins, and keep tossing. Eventually, it'll get to a thick-grained texture, kind of like stuffing.
It's best served room-temperature alongside your stuffing and mashed potatoes. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge up to 4-5 days, but do not reheat it in the microwave. Slowly bring back to temp in a sauce pot.
You will need approximately 8.6 years on the treadmill to work off one forkful. That's scientific.
ENJOY!