Tante Soheir's Baklava Recipe

Tante Soheir's Baklava Recipe

 

Sorry for the inexact measurements-I'm writing this from memory :s

 

First, make the syrup:

Heat 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice until it's boiling and thick. Set aside to cool. You will not use all this syrup-you can store the extra and use it when you make katayef or kunafa, etc. Or just scale down the ingredients as needed.

 

Ingredients:

1 pack filo dough

3/4 lb walnuts-crushed in food processor

2 teaspoons vanilla

half a small stick of butter

A couple tablespoons oil

 

Method:

1. Cut the filo dough in half so it can fit the dish you're making it in. Set half of the dough aside

2. Melt the butter and the oil together in a sauce pan.

3. Grease the bottom of the dish with the oil/butter. Place the first sheet on the bottom of the dish and brush on some butter/oil. Place another sheet on top. Repeat until you're done with half of the sheets.

4. Mix the vanilla (I used powder) with the crushed walnuts and scatter it on the filo sheet (marking the mid-point of the baklava)

5. place a sheet on top of the walnuts and spread with butter. Repeat until all the sheets are finished.

6. Cut into squares or diamonds and place in a preheated oven (350 degrees) until it's brownish on top.

7. When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour some syrup on top (make sure the syrup is cool before pouring it on top).

Brazilian Cheese Bread

Note: They're best eaten fresh. Otherwise the texture isn't the same.

Cheese bread/rolls (Pao de Queijo)

500gr of *Sour* Tapioca *starch* (in portuguese we call it "polvilho azedo")

1 1/2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of oil (sunflower)

150 to 200gr of cheese (cheddar - mature is better)

1 (coffee size) spoon of salt (if the cheese is salty, use just a pinch)

2 eggs


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees(Celsius).


In a little saucepan, combine the oil and milk to boil and bring to boil.

In a bowl, put the flour, greated cheese on top and the salt. Add the
"boiled" milk and oil. Mix with a spoon and when the mixture has cooled a
bit, add the eggs. Mix all together (spoon or you can use your hands if is
not too hot) until you have homogeneous dough.

Leave to rest a little bit (2-5 minutes). Is mix is still too sticky, add a
bit more flour.

Grease your hands with butter, then form the dough into balls. (use a spoon
to get dough from bowl). (or you can also use two spoons instead of making
ball with hands)

Arrange then on a baking tray. Put into the oven and immediately reduce the
temperature to 160 degrees (Celsius).

Leave for 30 minutes and then turn up to 180 degrees for 5 to minutes to
get brownish.

Bom apetite! (Buon appetitte!)


ps.:
1) you can also freeze the bread, make the dough into balls and put in a
plastic container until frozen than can keep in plastic bags to free some
freezer space.

2) 500 grams of flours makes around 25 to 30 little rolls.

Moussaka

A really good moussaka recipe. I use this recipe http://greek.food.com/recipe/kittencals-greek-moussaka-88804 to make the eggplants and this one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/moussaka_01004  for the rest of the dish.