BAKLAVA
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup finely chopped pistachios
1/2 cup chopped blanched almonds (lightly, toasted)
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 lb sweet butter, melted
1 package commercial phyllo sheets
SYRUP
2 1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup water
1 orange's rind, finely grated
1 lemon's rind, finely grated
5 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup honey
Directions
Combine nuts, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brush a 13 x 9 x 2-inch
baking pan well with butter. Separate 25 phyllo sheets from package.
Place under a smooth, damp towel to prevent drying. Wrap remaining
filo well. Freeze for future use. Place one phyllo sheet in pan.
Trim to fit. Brush generously with melted butter. Repeat procedure
until there are 5 layers of buttered phyllo in the pan. Sprinkle with
1/4 nut mixture. Repeat this procedure two more times, ending with
phyllo. Drizzle any remaining butter over top. Bake in 350 degree
oven 1-1/2 hours or until golden brown. Remove baklava from oven.
Using a sharp knife, immediately cut long, diagonal lines from corner
to corner, forming an "X". Follow these guidelines to cut baklava
into serving-size diamonds. While still hot, pour cooled syrup over
baklava.
Syrup: Combine sugar, water, orange and lemon rinds, cloves and
cinnamon stick in saucepan. Bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, about
5 minutes to thicken syrup slightly. Remove from heat. Discard
spices. Stir in honey. Cool at room temperature. Pour over hot
baklava. Allow to stand overnight before serving.
From: "Classic Greek Cooking" by Daphne Metaxas. ISBN: 0-911954-31-7
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 30 servings
Baklava (Metaxas) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as a concept can be observed back into ancient history, in truth as far into history as the Egyptians, and maybe further still. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these early records were just very basic pictorial recipes for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to experts is a series of stone tablets in Sumerian describing the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel exhilarated and blissful. As we move into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius created some documents which described recipes cooked by wealthy Romans. In his works, Apicius describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and afters, something we still use today. He also recounts how the ancient cooks were skilled in the use of many different herbs, including some that we all recognise for example basil, mint and parsley. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from the holy land, including parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes caused a surge in manuscripts on cooking, most of which are now in private libraries. Over the next few hundred years, the rich families of the West tried to serve up the best banquets, and consequentially the best cooks and their collection of recipes became highly prized. However, it wasn`t until the 1800s that cooking and recipe books rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, spent years to assembling, verifying, and recording the recipes of their peers. When we get to the 1900s, cooking publications were starting to become popular due to better eduction, more leisure time and disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Baklava (Metaxas) recipe.
