Cook Book Club: August's Ingredient Is Cinnamon. The Country: Turkey!

Elise
Aug 1
4 min read

We are getting to leave the Summer of our third year exploring global cuisine and are working our way through Asia. Kits include a little bit about the country of focus, a recipe (or more) that is native to the country, and a unique ingredient or two from that recipe without which, it wouldn't be the same. Most recipes are from writers native to the country covered or otherwise lived experience of that culture. I'll post the recipes and information here as well, so let's get cooking!

Baklava History

As explained by various cultural & historical resources including Smithsonianmag.com & Iliosrestaurante.com

While the earliest origins of baklava are hotly debated with many people and places taking credit and might even go so far back as 2800BCE Mesopotamia and the Assyrians, the dessert as we know it today probably originated around 500 years ago in the royal kitchens of the Ottoman empire, where the emperor actually served his royal guard baklava in a special ceremony on the 15th day of Ramadan every year. To go along with the Muslim holiday that calls for restraint and simplicity, the traditional recipe mostly consists of phyllo dough, butter, nuts (traditionally pistachios but sometimes walnuts or others), and honey or very simple syrup (sugar, water & lemon to keep the sugar water from crystalizing). Some additions are common such as cinnamon (like we are making today), cardamom (popular in Persia), dried fruit, or rose/orange blossom water (occasionally even chocolate), and as time went on various different styles came to be, but the heart and soul of the plate are the square layers of dough separated by simple sweet and nut.

For a slightly more traditional and simple Turkish recipe, try https://houseofnasheats.com/turkish-baklava/#wprm-recipe-container-14772

Main Course

Baklava

This recipe has been adapted from Cleobuttera.com for use by the Brown Deer Library Cookbook Club

Prep Time: 40min. Cook Time: 1hr. 10min. Add Time: 30min. Total Time: 2hr. 20min.

Ingredients

For the Sugar Syrup:

250g (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
150g (2/3 cup) water
28g (1 1/2 tablespoons) glucose syrup (optional, but recommended)
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves, whole
Small squeeze of lemon juice

For the Baklava Rolls:

200g (almost 1 cup) melted ghee (or clarified butter* instructions below)
50g (about 1/2 cup) walnuts
50g (about 1/2 cup) almonds, blanched
50g (about 1/2 cup) pistachios
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (500g/1 lb) package phyllo dough (please see notes below for brand recommendation)
Ground pistachio, for garnish (optional)

Directions

To make the Syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, glucose syrup (if using), cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon juice, and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that the sugar dissolves. Once boiled, take off heat.
Transfer to a measuring cup with a spout or gravy boat and set aside to cool completely before using. (Cooled syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days; bring back to room temperature before using)

To make the Baklava Rolls:

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 150C/300F.
In a food processor, grind the walnuts, almonds, pistachios and cinnamon together until very finely chopped but not powdery; being sure there are no large pieces as they will rip through the phyllo sheets.
Unwrap and unfold the phyllo on a large cutting board and smooth out with hands to flatten. Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo stack in half, to form smaller rectangular sheets that are half the size of the original phyllo sheet. Cover phyllo with plastic wrap, then top with a damp kitchen towel to prevent from drying out.
Lay one rectangle of phyllo with the longer side facing you; keeping the rest covered. Brush phyllo with a light coating of ghee, then top with a second sheet; brush with ghee as well.
Sprinkle a little over 2 teaspoons of the nut mixture over the entire surface of the phyllo. Place a long rod or stick like a dowel, at the edge nearest to you. Loosely roll the rectangle of phyllo around the rod; making sure its not too tight or you'll have difficulty getting it out of the rod.
Placing each hand on both ends of the rolled phyllo, carefully push both ends towards the center to scrunch. Slide the scrunched phyllo roll out of the dowel and transfer to a greased 13X9 inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining phyllo rectangles, arranging the rolls so that they're touching side by side.
Using a sharp knife, cut the rows of rolls in half vertically, then cut each half in half, so that each roll is now cut into 4 pieces. If desired, straighten out the shaggy ends of the rolls by cutting through the very ends. Do not remove them and keep them intact; they will later make the nicest kitchen snack.
Brush the remaining ghee all over the rolls. Bake until crisp and deep golden brown in color; about 70 to 90 minutes.
When ready, remove from the oven and immediately pour the cool syrup over the hot baklava rolls. Allow them to soak up the syrup for least 30 minutes. then sprinkle with ground pistachio and serve. Leftovers can be stored, covered tightly with foil for about 1 week.

Notes

You don't need to get out of your way to custom-make a stick to wrap your baklava on. A cake dowel or 2 chopsticks taped to each other will work just as well.
To clarify butter, melt 250g (a little more than 8 3/4oz) butter slowly over medium low heat until the milk solids have separated from the butterfat. and collected on the bottom of the saucepan. Remove the pan from heat, let the butter settle for 10 minutes, then carefully skim the foam from the surface with a spoon. Slowly pour the clear butterfat into a bowl, leaving all the milk solids behind in the saucepan. You should end up with about 200g (just over 7oz) clarified butter.
Make sure to use the best quality phyllo brand available to you, that has little to no tears. Inferior brands will crack and break as you rolls them.