Baklava

Baklava

Falafel is a favorite food in my house. Once a week, we go to Pita House in our area and enjoy it very much. Their dessert, as everyone knows, is Baklava.  

Ever since I began blogging my recipes, one entry I wanted to write about was Baklava. It is a flaky Mediterranean, Greek pastry made from phyllo dough which is amazingly good.  It is easy to make, looks good and tastes very good on top of it.  I was able to make a batch this week so I am sharing this recipe with my readers.  It will make you feel like a true chef!

This recipe is courtesy of my good friend Avani Patel.

Ingredients

Cooking Difficulty Level: Medium

Recipe Type: Vegan

Preparation Time: 40 Minutes

Cooking Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients:  

1    Package/Lb. Phyllo Pastry Sheets 1    Cup Walnuts, coarse & ground 1    Cup Pistachios, coarse & ground 1    Cup Almond, coarse & ground 3-4 TBsp Sugar (or to taste) 1    TBsp Cinnamon 1-2 Sticks Butter (unsalted or as desired) Honey (can substitute with syrup recipe) 1    Brush to spread butter/syrup Ingredients for Sugar Syrup (Honey Substitute) Recipe Below: 2    Cups Water 1 1/2 Cups Sugar 10    Pieces Cloves 1    Tsp Lemon Juice

How to Prepare Baklava:

Frozen phyllo sheets can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight in their package.  Phyllo sheets are very delicate and tend to dry quickly, so do not open the package until all other ingredients are assembled and ready to use.  Keep the phyllo sheets covered at all times so they do not dry out.  When you're ready, remove them from their package and try your best to fit them into a baking sheet.  Phyllo sheets can be cut easily to fit into a pan. Follow the directions on the box to make it easy, otherwise use a 9"x 14" pan.  I prefer shallow cookie sheet over a deep cake pan.  

1. Mix all nuts, cinnamon and sugar together for filling and set aside.

2. As shown in the picture, lay phyllo dough on baking sheet and use a brush to cover each layer evenly with melted butter so the pastry does not dry out. 

3. Layer four to five pasty sheets on top of one another.

Cover with Melted Butter

4. Now layer very lightly and evenly the mixture of the nuts, cinnamon and sugar on the top of the four to five pastry sheets. Then again, start layering 4-5 sheets on top of the nut mixture, covering each sheet very well with butter.  Then again, add another layer of nut mixture.

Cover with Nuts.

5. Continue by adding the next layers of phyllo sheets on top of the nut mixture, each sheet brushed with butter. 

Press the Cover Sheets gently.

Cover Pastry Sheets with Butter.

6. Use all of the sheets and layer after layer cover with butter.

7. Once all sheets are used, cut diagonally and then straight lengthwise to make diamond shapes.

8. The next step is to bake it in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 300º until golden brown, crispy and flaky. 

9. Once out of the oven, add honey in the slit areas, covering all over. Cover with honey generously if you like it very sweet or according to your taste. I cover lightly so that it is flaky instead of sticky.

Ready Baklava smothered in honey 

Cut and Ready

Baklava 

Baklava stays good for two weeks without refrigeration.

Tips: 

• I would highly recommend using a pan large enough to fit the pastry sheets, otherwise they may burn.
• For vegan recipe, or for those who do not use honey, you can use sugar syrup instead (recipe below).

How to Prepare Sugar Syrup:

1. Boil water and sugar and cloves for at least 15 minutes until it becomes a thick syrup. 
2. Remove cloves and add few drops of lemon juice. 
3. Cool and spread syrup over pastry.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment! I love to hear from my readers!

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Falafel Sandwich

I love food so I love to dine at fine restaurants.  I enjoy being served on white linen and I savor a fine cup of coffee and dessert.  But there is one exception:  I love to go to a certain fast food restaurant around the corner to eat a falafel sandwich.

I also enjoy Baba Ganoush, Hummus, and Parsley Salad with Tahini and Spicy Garlic Sauce. Because of my culinary curiosity, I always come home to my kitchen and make these things with my selected ingredients.

My family is my fan club. My friends and my cousins favor falafel over any food item from India.

I am sharing my recipe with you. I don't know if it can be called authentic or not, but I enjoy it every time I make it.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: Approximately 1 Hour
Serves: 4-5

Falafel Patties or Balls

Ingredients:

2    Cups Lentils 1    Cup Chickpeas, dried not canned 1    Head Lettuce, washed & chopped (can be mixed with romaine for nutritional value) 1    Bunch Parsley 1-3 Green Chili Pepper or Jalapeño 1    Small Fresh Ginger 4-5 Cloves Garlic, peeled 1    Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Salt to Taste 1    Tsp Cumin Seeds 1    Tsp Coriander Seeds

How to Prepare:

1. Wash lentil and chickpeas very thoroughly and check for stones if any.
2. Soak lentil and chickpeas for at least for three hours in warm water.
3. Cut and chop parsley, green chili, ginger and fresh garlic.
4. Add salt, cumin and coriander seeds and red pepper flakes.
5. Grind all of the ingredients together and make a batter.
6. Heat the oil on medium heat in a frying pan.
7. Make small balls from batter and drop them with a teaspoon to fry them in hot oil.
8. Falafel patties are ready for the sandwich.  

Sauce recipes below:

Green Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

1    Bunch Cilantro, washed & chopped 2    TBsp Sesame Seeds Salt to taste 1    Cup Cucumber, chopped garden or seedless 1    Small Ginger & Chili (to own taste) 1    Cup Sour Cream or Drained Yogurt or Garlic Cucumber Dressing with Buttermilk (from store) 1    Tsp Cumin Seeds 3-5 Cloves Garlic

Blend all ingredients together and green sauce is ready for Falafel sandwich.

Red Sauce

Ingredients:

4-5	Cloves	Fresh Peeled Garlic
1		Red Hot Chili or Red Bell Pepper (for mild taste)
		Salt to taste
10	Oz.	Tomato Sauce Can
2	TBsp	Red Pepper Flakes
1	TBsp	Lemon Juice
2	TBsp	Ketchup

Blend all ingredients together and red spicy or mild sauce is ready for you.

Tips:

• Pocket pitas are very tasty. There are a variety of pocket pitas available.  Plain pitas also taste very good.  I toast them in the toaster or warm them in a toaster oven at 200º till it puffs up.
• Usually I mix two different kind of lettuce: Romaine and head lettuce. Washed and chopped.
• 3-4 washed and cubed tomatoes to top it off.

I am pretty sure you will enjoy this dish over and over. It is bit time consuming but it's all worth it.