Baklava

Baklava is a dessert from the Mediterranean region. While it's origins are questionable (almost all middle eastern people - the Turks, Arabs, Greeks, Armenians- introduce Baklava as their national dessert), you can never argue about its taste. It's a rich pastry made with layers of phyllo and chopped nuts, doused with honey and butter.

I was really keen on making this at home, but phyllo is tough to find. For those who want to attempt it, I bought mine from Nature's Basket and it is available in Foodhall Palladium in Mumbai.



Notes on working with phyllo:
It's always sold frozen and ensure it remains frozen until needed. To use it, remove from freezer and let it thaw.

• If not defrosted properly, the sheets tend to stick together. The dough must be thawed atleast 12hours before you intend on using it. I removed the packet it from the freezer and placed it in the refrigerator to thaw as is. If you don't thaw the pastry and just work with it cold, the sheets will crack as you unfold them.
• The pastry dries out very quickly. The dough can crack when exposed to air within minutes. Once unwrapped, cover immediately in plastic wrap.
• The sheets are paper this so they tear easily. Hence handle very gently.
• Unused phyllo can be refrigerated or refrozen and will remain for 2 months. Make sure you seal it in cling wrap and store in the original box.

1 pack of phyllo pastry
2 kg assorted nuts, finely chopped or crushed to a crumble in a mixer*
500 gms raisins, dates or sultanas, finely chopped (optional: I find adding raisins gives the baklava a nice burst of flavour and a good break in texture from the extremely nutty taste otherwise)
500gms butter
250gms honey

*I used pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews. 2kgs is the weight of all the nuts combined once chopped and mixed together.



Preheat the oven to 150 degree Celsius. Butter a rectangular baking pan.

Melt butter in a bowl and set aside to cool. Once cooled, mix in the honey and stir well till combined. In another bowl, mix all the dryfruits and nuts together. Ensure you assemble everything before unwrapping the thawed phyllo dough.

Unwrap the phyllo sheets and lay them flat. If necessary trim the edges incase they are too big for your baking pan. Working quickly, pick 3-4sheets and place on the buttered pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the exposed top sheet with the butter and honey mixture. Add in the nuts and arrange to form one layer. Repeat the process (3-4 sheets + butter/honey + nuts) till all the sheets are used up. Finally, spread the butter and honey mixture on the top layer. Using a very sharp knife, cut the baklava as desired (into squares, rectangles, triangle, diamond shape). I forgot to cut my baklava while baking, which is why once done, it got extremely difficult for my baklava to keep up appearances.

Bake for 45 mins until the top is golden brown and crisp.

Tip: You can really experiment with filling ingredients like chocolate chips or even flavoured syrups like maple...just to give you a few ideas.

Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush is a mashed eggplant dish that is spiced with various middle eastern spices. I know your first thought when I said 'mashed eggplant' was eeek. It is an acquired taste, I agree. But give it a chance, and the subtle flavours might surprise you. So keep the boring old hummus aside and turn your pita in the baba ganoush direction.

I usually serve baba ganoush as a dip though you can use it in other dishes. It makes a fabulous and fuss free starter served with something crunchy on the side (see below for serving suggestions). 

Serves 4:

1 large eggplant

1/4 cup tahini* paste

Juice of 1 lemon

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp Paprika or chili powder

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

*Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and olive oil. It is also a crucial ingredient for that other famous middle easter dip - Hummus. I bought my tahini paste from a store, but incase it isn't available, you can easily prepare it at home. Just follow this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius 

Char the outside of the eggplant by placing it directly on top of your stove or gas burner. Keep turning the eggplant till the skin uniformly chars on the outside. I like my baba ganoush to be super smoky and tend to leave my eggplant on the flame for a good ten minutes. You can roast the eggplant for five minutes for a fairly good char, but smokiness is what defines this dish. Now cut the eggplant lenghtwise, and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 20 mins or until they are completely soft. 

Remove from oven and cool. Peel off the skin (which should come off easily) and add the pulp in a blender. Add in all other ingredients except olive oil. Blend the ingredients. Drizzle in olive oil while the ingredients are being blended. The mix should be smooth and creamy. 

Garnish with some paprika, olive oil and some herbs like mint, parsley or cilantro. You can add ground cumin which really compliments the eggplant and tahini. My fiancée, the chef, suggests adding yoghurt to balance out the richness and make the baba ganoush more palatable for first timers.

I served my baba ganoush with some rusk whose dry, hard texture I feel is a perfect compliment to the soft and moist baba ganoush. Traditionally it is served with toasted pita, but I've used crackers, chips and even papad to surprisingly good results. As long as its crunchy, I think anything can  work.

Note: My recipe calls for a generous amount of tahini which is why my baba ganoush is silky smooth and tastes a lot like hummus. You can add as little as you like, or skip the ingredient completely.

Shakshuka

Shashouka means a 'mixture' in Arabic slang. Its a dish of poached eggs in a flavourful tomato sauce that originated somewhere in the middle east or north africa. Because egg is the star of this dish, it often features in breakfast menu. I find the dish very hearty, so its perfect for winter suppers. It is also a very community dish. It is usually served in the pan its made with some bread on the side. So you and your family need to just gather around the pan and dig in.

Never heard of it? It is also commonly referred to as eggs in purgatory. Buzzfeed even did a section on it!

Serves 4

1tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion
2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 can Tomato puree
1 Tomato finely chopped
2 medium Red Peppers chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1tsp Cumin
1tbsp Harissa (optional)
1/2 cup Cheese (optional)
4 Eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Note: I roasted the peppers (see directions below) before adding them to this dish, but omit this step if its too much effort and you don't feel like it.

Roast Peppers: Place the peppers on a hot grill or oven stove flame. It will starting 'popping' so don't be alarm by the sound. Once blistered, put in a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it steam for 15-20mins. You can use them as they are or peel & deseed them to use.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. The pan should be large enough to hold the ingredients and shallow enough for the egg to not sink in. Add the garlic and onion and cook till its translucent. Add in the peppers, and cook for a minute. Now stir in the cumin, harissa and bay leaf. Add in the tomatoes & puree and let it simmer for 10-15mins. Stir occasionally. Discard the bay leaf and add in salt and pepper.

Now crack in the eggs. It helps to create a clearing or 'well' in the sauce and adding the eggs in it. You can now pop this in the oven to bake or cover the pan with a lid. I love the lid version as the whole egg poaches in the tomato sauce. Turn off the heat once the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny. I had some feta cheese from a food hamper someone gifted me. And I think it goes beautifully with this dish, but you can add in any cheese you have handy. Garnish with some coriander and dig in!

Tip: This dish is usually served with warm pita bread, but you can use any carb. I recently received a gourmet Mexican hamper, so I'm going to serve this dish with some exotic tortilla chips from it.
You can also go crazy with what you put in this dish. While I've made the veggie version today, you can add any meat or veggie combination. It is also an excellent dish to make with leftovers.