Ingredients
375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry
375g Antoniou Kataifi Pastry
250g unsalted butter, melted
For the syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon quill
10 whole cloves
½ cup honey
For the nuts
300g walnuts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method
Before you begin this Fillo Pastry and Kataifi recipe, take your Filo Pastry and Kataifi out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature in its packaging.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, fan forced. You’ll need a rectangular baking tray.
To make the syrup
Place the sugar, water, cinnamon quill and cloves in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the syrup is thick. Add the honey and cook for a further 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To assemble the Baklava
Combine the chopped nuts and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Remove the Kataifi Pastry from its packaging and unravel the knot to loosen the strands.
Lay two sheets of Fillo Pastry onto your workspace, with the long side of the Pastry facing you. Crinkle the pastry into a concertina design. Use your hands to press down the pastry so that it flattens as much as possible. Place 5-6 teaspoons of the nut filling along the length of the Pastry, in the centre. Grab small handfuls of loosened Kataifi and place them down on top of the nuts. Drizzle the Kataifi Pastry with some butter. Fold the bottom layer of pastry over the Kataifi and fold the top layer of pastry over the nuts, to form a long strip. Using both of your hands at the same time, turn the left-hand side of the strip anti clockwise and the right-hand side clockwise, to twist the pastry. Transfer to the tray. Repeat with remaining pastry and nuts. Brush the rolls with butter.
Cut the logs into smaller rolls, 4 pieces per long roll. Slowly pour any remaining butter over the rolls. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Pour the cool syrup over the baklava. Allow to sit for at least half an hour before serving.
The baklava will keep well in an air tight container for up to a week out of the fridge and for up to a month in the fridge.
Recipe, video & Photography: Mary Politis from Mary’s Kouzina