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The Weekend Neos Kosmos : 12 December 2015
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DIGITAL.NEOSKOSMOS.COM xi Vasiliki’s baklava This month's video, released today, features Vasiliki, Rita's mum, making one of her signature desserts, baklava. This recipe is a seriously tried and tested one, as Vasiliki has been making it an average of 20-25 times per year for around 40 years. Vasiliki's family and friends love her baklava for its perfect balance of pastry, nuts, spice and syrup. It is also loved by the Kali Orexi team, who 'fought' over how many pieces they could take home at the end of filming! Ingredients: For the baklava 600g walnuts, coarsely ground or chopped 100g almonds, finely ground or chopped 2 level tablespoons sesame seeds 2 heaped tablespoons white sugar 1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon 250g unsalted butter ¾ cup olive oil 375g chilled filo pastry For the syrup 2 cups water 2 cups white sugar 1 cinnamon stick 10 whole cloves 1 tablespoon honey a few drops fresh lemon juice 1 thick slice lemon Method: For the baklava 1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Combine the walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix together with a spoon. Set the nut mixture aside. 2. Melt the butter on a medium flame. Remove from the flame and add the oil. Mix together with a spoon. Set the basting mixture aside. 3. Remove the filo pastry from its packaging and lay it flat between two moistened tea towels. Place one sheet of filo pastry on your work surface in a landscape orientation. Use a basting brush to baste the filo sheet with the basting mixture. Place a second sheet of pastry directly on top of the first one and baste that sheet. Place a third sheet of filo pastry on top of the first two and baste that sheet. Spread a thin, even layer of the nut mixture across the bottom half of the pastry sheet. Place a fourth and final sheet of filo pastry on top of the other three and baste that sheet. Spread another thin, even layer of the nut mixture across the bottom half of that filo pastry sheet as well. 4. Roll over the nut-covered end of the filo pastry by around 2cm and baste the rolled edge with some of the basting mixture. Continue to roll the filo pastry tightly to form a long roll. Place the open edge of the roll at the bottom to avoid the roll unravelling. Set the baklava roll aside without over-handling it. 5. Repeat basting, filling and rolling the remaining sheets. Cut the baklava 6. Place one roll of baklava on a chopping board. Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the baklava into evenly-sized parallelograms of around 3cm in length. Use the blade of the knife or a long, thin spatula to pick up three pieces of baklava and place in line onto a greased, shallow baking tray (avoid over-handling the baklava to ensure the nut mixture does not fall out). Repeat for the remaining rolls of baklava. Bake the baklava 7. Brush some of the remaining basting mixture on top of all of the pieces of baklava and pour the remaining basting mixture onto the baking tray around the baklava. 8. Place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven (preheated to 170°C) and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown. For the syrup The syrup needs to be warm when the baklava comes out of the oven, so start preparing the syrup about 20 minutes after the baklava has been placed into the oven. 1. Place the water into a deep pot over a medium flame and add the sugar. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon and cloves. Stir the mixture again. Once the syrup reaches boiling point (is bubbling), boil it for exactly six minutes. 2. Add the honey, lemon juice and lemon slice. Boil for another two minutes exactly. 3. Remove the syrup from the flame and place it on your work surface. Allow the syrup to cool for around five minutes before you drench the baklava. Drenching 1. Remove the lemon slice and cinnamon stick from the syrup. Remove the baklava from the oven and place it on your work surface. 2. Use tongs to pick up a piece of baklava and place it into the syrup. Turn the piece of baklava over a few times in the syrup to ensure that the syrup seeps through the piece of baklava completely. Remove the piece from the syrup and place it onto a clean tray. Repeat for all of the pieces of baklava. To serve: Allow the baklava to cool for a couple of hours before eating so the syrup thickens. Baklava can keep for up to a week, but good luck resisting the temptation to eat it all before then! Recipe makes 50 pieces. THE WEEKEND NEOS KOSMOS | SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015 13 FOOD
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