Today I tried my hand at preparing Greek baklava (a sweet of Turkish origin) that we find not only in Greece but also in other Balkan and Arab countries.
There are certainly many versions, but the basic ingredients of baklava are always phyllo pastry, nuts and a flavored sugar-and-water syrup that makes it delicious!
Don’t serve it at breakfast, but maybe enjoy a small piece after lunch with a good Greek coffee….
I read several baklava recipes and then experimented to bring you this one using a mix of nuts (which I had plentifully in the pantry) such as almonds, pistachios and walnuts!
I also tried not to use too much butter to brush and layer the phyllo sheets in the pan and not to overload the syrup with sugar and… well I liked it a lot, actually I loved it, and I decided to give a good part of it to my neighbor Federico who is so skinny he can enjoy it better hahah!
Having worked for years as a kitchen assistant in pubs and restaurants in Bologna, I love Greek cuisine and often prepare sauces and moussaka so as not to forget these excellent dishes and their unforgettable aromas!
WHAT IS PHYLLO PASTRY? Phyllo pastry is a dough that comes in very thin sheets used in countries like Greece, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. It’s versatile, not very caloric, has a short cooking time and adapts greatly to sweet and savory recipes.
The phyllo pastry keeps for 2-3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen without any consequence.
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I opened a recipe channel on WhatsApp, open to everyone and free—no notifications and no sound— which you can join by clicking the link here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F and every day you’ll be able to read one sweet and one savory recipe!
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If you also love to experiment in the kitchen, here’s this collection of recipes …
GREEK RECIPE COLLECTION
BAKLAVA
The cuisine of ASI
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: pan 9.5 in diameter
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients RECIPE Baklava Greek sweet
- 1 package phyllo pastry
- 3.5 oz walnuts
- 3.5 oz pistachios
- 3.5 oz almonds
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 13 tbsp butter (to melt)
- 1 cup water
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon stick
- 1 zest of 1 lemon
Tools RECIPE Baklava Greek sweet
- Brushes
- Baking pans
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE RECIPE Baklava Greek sweet
To prepare Greek baklava I first made the syrup by heating the water with the cinnamon stick, the sugar and the lemon zest on the stove.
Melt the butter in the microwave or over very low heat.
Now prepare the baklava filling by chopping the chosen nuts.
As I said above, having multiple varieties I used both pistachios and almonds and walnuts, but if you prefer use only one type of nut—whichever you prefer!
In a bowl put the chosen nuts, preferably chopped with a knife or, if using a food processor, pulse so as not to crush them too finely.
Also add the sugar and the breadcrumbs, mixing the filling well.
At this point we really begin the baklava: butter the chosen baking pan and place a sheet of phyllo pastry. If it is too large, trim it to the right size so it does not excessively overlap the pan.
Brush the phyllo with melted butter immediately and continue, using a total of 5 sheets.
Always remember that phyllo pastry dries in a second, so while you place one sheet at a time keep the remaining sheets covered with a cloth dampened and well wrung out.
Now make the first layer of filling with the chopped nuts, then continue placing the buttered phyllo sheets one at a time.
So for the baklava you will have layers of 5 phyllo sheets and 1 layer of filling, finishing with a buttered phyllo sheet.
With a very sharp knife trace many diamond shapes on the pastry as you see in the recipe photos and put a small dab of the remaining filling at each cut point.
Bake the Greek baklava with phyllo and nut filling at 338°F for about 45 minutes in a conventional oven, allowing the surface to brown and almost toast.
Let cool and then drizzle with the syrup, leaving the Greek sweet baklava to rest for at least 7-8 hours.
It is clearly a robust dessert with an intense flavor and a little goes a long way to savor Mediterranean and Eastern tastes and aromas.
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa
