Fërgesë

By Alfred SogjaOctober 10, 2026

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Peppers, tomatoes, and soft white cheese, baked in olive oil until bubbling

A Sunday table favorite from Tirana, fërgesë is peppers and tomatoes cooked down in olive oil, then baked with soft cheese until golden at the edges. It is made to be scooped up with warm bread and shared straight from the dish. We make it with Shkalla olive oil, pressed in Lundër, a few kilometers from the center of Tirana.

Ingredients

Pepper Base

3 tbsp Shkalla extra virgin olive oil
3 green bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, grated, or 400 g crushed tomatoes
½ tsp salt
A pinch of chili flakes

Cheese

250 g gjizë (Albanian fresh curd cheese) or ricotta
150 g feta, crumbled
A pinch of black pepper

To Finish

1 tbsp Shkalla extra virgin olive oil
Warm crusty bread, to serve

Instructions

Make the Pepper Base

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
Add the peppers and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and chili flakes, and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Add the Cheese

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
In a bowl, mix the gjizë, feta, and black pepper.
Stir two thirds of the cheese into the pepper base, then spoon everything into a small baking dish.
Dot the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake