Heart Stopping Bakalva

Heart stopping, artery clogging goodness can be yours in just a few, not so short steps. I recently made a batch of this delectable treat which I haven’t made for about 5 years. I was asked to make it for a family get together recently. This recipe even appeals to some who don’t normally like Baklava. My mother had a recipe for Baklava from Danny Thomas’ mother. I don’t know how in the world she ever got the recipe, but she did. She made it for years and my sister and I never had the heart to tell her it we were allergic to the black walnuts she used. This recipe differs from that one as this is Middle Eastern as opposed to Greek style. After tasting this wonderful treat at a local bakery some years ago, I purchased their recipe book. I changed a few things as I always tend to do in recipes. I must warn you; just walking by the dish will add 10 pounds to your hips.

This recipe does take some time, so as usual; you may want to pace yourself. I survived making the baklava by starting on it two days before. I shelled the pistachio nuts ahead of time.  The day before I made the baklava, I chopped all the nuts in my cheap $6.00 mini grinder and chopper. Having chopped them, I placed the measured amount into a large plastic bag. I chopped the pistachios separately and placed them into a small plastic container. I took out the Filo dough from the freezer 24 hours ahead of time and placed it into the refrigerator until I was ready to work on the Samneh, Attar and Baklava.

It may sound redundant, but it cuts down on the actual time you will spend assembling the baklava and you won’t be as exhausted when you are done. Someone without Fibromyalgia may not have the difficulty we sometimes face when working in the kitchen.  Simple arm movements can be painful even excruciating. Standing can be very painful if you suffer most pain in your legs. The key for me to get through a long process such as this is to find ways to make it less stressful. Sure the process may take the same amount of time in the end, but by spreading it over a few days I am not as tired. I hope you can find a way to make to make this. My sister says it’s the best she ever tasted, which is kind of cool as she worked as a caterer for awhile and also inherited my mothers baking prowess. Just remember, it is a heart stopping, artery clogging recipe. But oh, what a way go!

 “Samneh”

            1 pound butter

            16 grams flour

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and cook on a low heat until the foam disappears from the top. The bottom will hold the sediment left from the flour, salt and other impurities from the butter. The Samneh will be clear. Remove from heat and cool. Pour the cooled butter into a glass container for using in your recipe.

You can make additional Samneh and store for sometime un-refrigerated in glass jars.

“Attar”

            2 cups sugar

            1 ¼  cups water

            1 Tbl. lemon juice

            1 tsp. rose flower water

Mix sugar and water bringing to a boil. Add lemon juice and boil for 7-8 more minutes. When mixture has cooled add rose flower water.

           

“Baklava”

            1 lb. Filo (Phyllo) dough at room temperature

            1 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts

            1 ½ cups finely chopped cashews

            1 cup Samneh

            ½ tsp. cinnamon

            ¼ tsp. nutmeg

            ¼ cup powdered sugar

            1 cup Attar

            ¼ lb pistachio’s  (set aside, do not mix with other nuts)

Mix together nuts, sugar, and spices into a large bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease an 11” x 17” with butter. Do not use a baking spray. Place two layers of Filo dough in the pan. Brush lightly with Samneh. Continue brushing every 2 layers for 3 more sets of layers.

Sprinkle with some of the nut mixture. Continue layering the pan with 2 layers of Filo dough and a light sprinkling of the nut mixture until you have 3 sheets of Filo dough left. Place 2 sheets of the dough over your last layer of nut mixture. Brush again lightly with butter. Place the last sheet of dough on top.

With a sharp knife, cut into rectangular, square or diamond shapes. Pour remaining Samneh (about ¾ cup) over the pan.  Place the pan in the oven and reduce the temperature to 275 degrees. Bake for 1 ½ hours.  Dough will be slightly browned on top. If you wish to have a darker top, broil momentarily after baking.

While baking, shell pistachios and grate them.

Cool for 10 minutes. Pour cold Attar evenly over the surface, making sure you get the corners of the pan. Sprinkle the top with grated pistachios. Let set over night. Serve the next day. (If you can wait!)