Arabian Delights

Passport & Plate - Pistachio Rose Baklava

Saudi Arabia | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | flickr photos

Ingredients
Rose Syrup

¾ cups water
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp. rose water
1 tbsp. honey

Nut Filling

1-cup raw pecan
2 -cups raw pistachios
1/3 cup melted butter
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1/3-cup sugar


Pastry/ Butter

20-30 sheets filo dough
1-cup butter

Garnish

Dried rose petals or buds
Pistachios (whole, chopped, or powdered)

 

How to prepare this recipe
Step 1 - In a saucepan, heat the water, sugar, honey and lemon juice until it comes to a simmer. Let it cook for about three minutes until you have a syrup consistency. I used organic, raw honey from my boyfriend’s father’s backyard beehives. Remove the pan from the heat to let cool. Then add the cinnamon stick and rose water. Be sure the syrup has cooled completely before adding the rose water so that the heat doesn’t burn the softness of the rose. Stir and let cool until later use. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.


Step 2- Finely chop two cups of pistachios for the nut filling. Take one cup of the raw pecans and grind them in the food processor. Be very mindful not to grind them too finely as to keep the integrity of the nuts texture. A coarse mealy consistency is what you want. Combine both nuts with the sugar, cardamom, and melted butter in a bowl. Add one teaspoon of rose syrup, stir, and set mixture aside.

Step 3 - In a dish (I used a small pan to avoid glutinous behaviors), brush the base with a little melted butter then add a sheet of filo. Brush with butter, and continue until you have six sheets of filo in the dish. Gently layer enough nut filling over the dough to reach corners. Add six more sheets of pastry, brushing with melted butter, and then add one more layer of nuts. Finish with a few more sheets of filo and butter. Cut the baklava into diamonds, squares, rectangles, or whatever whimsical designs you can imagine.

Step 4- Bake the baklava for 45 minutes until crisp and golden in the middle rack of the oven. When golden brown and flaky remove from oven. Now for my favorite part! Take your cooled rose syrup and ladle over the hot baklava. Watch the sugar bubble making sure to get in between each cut. Automatically you can smell that rose syrup and sugar! Allow the baklava to cool fully before serving. I like to decorate with powdered pistachio and dried rose petals.

 

The story behind this recipe
There were few times I remember leaving the compound as a child. The unforgiving desert heat was reason enough, but every time we did I was glad knowing that food would always be involved. Often times my mother and father would receive dinner invitations from local Saudi families that lived near our compound. With experience you start to realize that these friendly dinners are more like grand familial celebrations. One dinner in particular stands out in my mind. We entered a smoke filled room of men puffing on shisha and drinking mint tea. Many of their beards stained amber from henna. My dad took a seat with them as my mother; sisters and I went into a separate room of woman and children. We sat and exchanged smiles as they brought in silver trays filled with Arabian delights. There was buttered rice, turmeric and sweet peppers with roasted chicken, flat breads and yogurt salads, tabbouleh and spiced olives, stuffed lemons and curried goat. We ate like kings and exchanged more smiles. "Don't eat so much girly, you won't have room for dessert,” my mother said as she hurled a smirk my way. Glass teacups with gold trim were set out as coffee brewed. Mountains of glittering sweets were passed around piled high on wax paper. "What are those?" I asked with wide eyes. "Baklava". My mother poured me a cup of tea as she placed one on my plate. This one was dusted with pistachio powder and dried rose buds. The softness of the rose filled my mouth, the sticky syrup kissed my fingers. The crunchy filo and candied nuts I washed down with warm tea. At that age I did not know that one could fall in love with food. Baklava, once made exclusively for royalty, transformed me with its layers and its decadence. Years have passed and I have tasted so much more of the world. Whenever I'm missing the Middle East I make this nostalgic sweet treat, and it's as if I've never left the "empty quarter".