Bela Ka Vivah Aalha Recipes

TRADITIONAL ALGERIAN BAKLAWA / BAKLAVA - FAMILY RECIPE

Steps:

• Take 1 mixing bowl and place the flour & salt in it. Add the ghee/oil mixture & mix, slowly adding the water. Mix well -- until you have a smooth dough, place this on your work surface - well dusted with cornflour.
• Split the dough in half. Make the first 1/2 into golf ball sized pieces. Keep the dough covered with a tea towel --.
• Take a dough golf ball. If you are comfortable using the pasta machine then just make the ball into a sausage shape and gently roll out with rolling pin to approximately 3-4mm.
• Begin passing though pasta machine on thinnest setting. NB : if this is your 1st time you can use the pasta machine on the 2nd to thinnest setting before putting it through on the thinnest.
• In you saucepan, melt your ghee on a medium heat. Brush you tray well with ghee using the pastry brush.
• Lay you first strip of phyllo pastry vertically in the centre the tray. Brush the pastry with the ghee.
• Repeat the dough rolling process. Cover the tray with phyllo, remembering to brush with ghee after each strip. You should be able to do this with 5 strips but don't worry if you use more or less.
• Turn the tray round so that you're placing the phyllo strips horizontally over vertical strips. This criss cross is very important so don't forget --.
• Continue rolling your pastry and layering the tray. Remember the ghee after each strip. Continue doing this until you have done 5 layers.
• Prepare you nut filling. Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
• Prepare you nut filling. Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
• Place the nuts in the 2nd mixing bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla powder and mazhar - enough mazhar to make the filling hold but not so much that it's sloppy.
• Place filling in the tray over the pastry, gently smoothing it out - but don't press it.
• You now need to repeat the dough rolling, layer making stage all over again until you have 6 layers. You will need to use the 2nd half of the dough by now - just make golf balls again! Don't forget the ghee.
• When you've finished the 5th layer you can choose how to do the top layer. I always roll out one large sheet by hand by other stick to the pasta machine as a large sheet of phyllo is a bit tricky to create and handle!
• If you want to try rolling out a sheet, remember to COVER the dough, rolling pin, surface, your hands etc in LOADS of cornflour. then roll out the the tray size plus 2cm extra.
• Now you need to cut the baklawa and decorate.
• Take you knife and cut vertical straight lines all the way to the bottom. (Approx. 2cm apart)then spin the tray round and cut more lines but diagonally to form diamond shapes. You can also make squares or triangles but traditional Algerian baklawa are diamonds.
• When you've cut the shapes, push a nut into each shape.
• Brush well with the ghee and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 c for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes --.
• The baklawa should be golden and now needs it syrup: Warm the honey and mazhar in the saucepan then pour slowly over the baklawa.
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes then cut out pieces and place in paper cases - preferably the metallic ones as they hold the syrup better.

BEST BAKLAVA YOU WILL EVER EAT!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Mix sugar, water, lemon juice and cloves in a small sauce pan. Cook until it is boiling and becomes transparent. Then, remove it from heat and add vanilla and then set aside. Once it has cooled off, place in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, mix together pecans, raisins, coconut, and remaining 1/4c sugar and mix together. Set aside.
• Melt butter and using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer on the bottom and sides of a 13x9 baking pan.
• Take half of the phyllo dough and press down into pan. Pour 1/2 of melted butter on top and spread out with pastry brush, patting it lightly into the dough.
• Spread out filling over the butter and then cover with remaining phyllo dough. Pour and spread remaining butter on top.
• *Important* Make sure that you cut the dough before cooking, so that the butter will soak through all of the layers. Make 5 slices along the width (to make 6 rows) and 2 slices on the length (3 rows). Then slice them diagonally so you end up with 36 triangles.
• Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 10-12 mins covered. Remove cover and cook for an additional 15-20 mins (depends on if you are using a metal or glass pan, the lesser time is for metal). Once it is really golden, pull it out and pour refridgerated sauce over it. Pop it back into the oven for an extra 3-4mins so that it caramelizes. Let it cool to room temperature at which time you can serve it OR you can put it into the freezer covered with aluminium foil. If you freeze, take it out after 2 or more hours (overnight is fine), reslice and wrap in aluminium foil and refreeze. This will keep for months and be really yummy! Enjoy!