Lakror me Kungull

Using one of summers most delicious vegetables this crust-less pie has a sweet taste of summer while being a quick, easy and cheap summer squash pie recipe. A delicious alternative to courgettes! We grow our summer squash in the garden along with courgettes and butternut squash which are all part of the same pumpkin family. In Albania the family name for pumpkin is ‘Kungull‘ and therefore a lot of recipes with mention whether to use a big or small pumpkin – butternut squash / pumpkins vs summer squash / courgettes for example. While preparing the summer squash for this recipe, I recommend that you slice it in half on the vertical and then use a spoon to scoop out the middle ensuring that you discard of the seeds. It can be quite tough so ensure you give yourself a good 20 minutes if it is your first time. You can get the best results if you use the squash within a few days of when it was harvested. The filling of the pie is baked into a sweet batter which gives it a cake like texture without a crust. When sliced it is mess free, can be eaten hot or cold and goes well with a traditional Albanian lunch of white cheese, salad and melons. The pumpkin (Kungull) family is a large family and have many vegetables included into it. We have two main ones that we make into pies in our village – this recipe is for Kungull i vogel Lakror which translates to a courgette pie. Then, more common in the summer is Kungull i madh Lakror which is Summer Squash Pie or Pumpkin Pie. The Lakror me Kungull recipes have different names and can be made in two different ways. If you make the recipe with eggs and flour like this recipe then it is known as a Lakror. If you make the recipe with filo pastry (like my spinach pie recipe) then it is known as a Pite (or in some cases even byrek). The ‘i vogel’ and ‘e madh’ refer to a small or large pumpkin vegetable – courgette vs squash for example.