Baklava

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines in the area once controlled by the former Ottoman Empire, in Central Asia and in the lands in between. It and its variants are thus popular in Turkey, the Balkans, Cyprus, much of the Arab world, Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and the lands of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.

Baklava

Rick Stein: "I have already mentioned the impressive furore of activity at Imam Cagdas, the kebab restaurant in Gaziantep, and this was especially so on the first floor where they were making baklava. There must have been 50 or 60 people preparing the paper-thin pastry and the bright green pistachios, building up the trays of baklava and baking them in the huge, wood-fired ovens. But only two people, Burhan Cagdas's ageing father and one other, were allowed to apply the boiling hot syrup after baking, which had to be at just the right temperature and consistency. There was so much flour in the air where the pastries were being assembled that everyone seemed to be working in a dream-like haze. The most distinctive elements, apart from the perfect pastry, were the vibrantly green pistachios, harvested when young, and the butter made from ewe's milk. This is their recipe and is still very good even when made with ordinary butter and pistachios, and is just perfect with a cup of strong black coffee - Turkish, of course."

Baklava Recipe (Makes about 20 pieces)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes)

Ingredients

• 500 g filo pastry sheets
• 150 g clarified butter, warmed (* see note below on how to make clarified butter)
• 250 g shelled pistachio nuts

For the Pastry Cream:

• 300 ml milk
• 40 g Semolina

For the Syrup:

• 600 g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

* To make Clarified Butter: Place butter in a small pan and leave it over a very low heat until it has melted. Skim off any scum from the surface and pour off the clear (clarified) butter into a bowl, leaving behind the milky white solids that will have settled on the bottom of the pan. The butter is ready to use.

Method

1. First make the pastry cream. Put the milk and semolina into a small, non-stick pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 1 minute, then transfer the mixture to a bowl, press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface to prevent it from forming a skin and leave to go cold.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C. Cut down the filo pastry sheets if necessary so they will line a 20 x 30-cm shallow, rectangular, non-stick baking tin. Brush the base and sides of the tin with some of the clarified butter, then line the base with 15 single layers of pastry, brushing each one lightly with butter before adding the next. Don't butter the last sheet of pastry.
3. Mix the pastry cream until smooth, loosening it slightly with a little milk if it seems stiff, then spread it evenly over the top of the pastry. Sprinkle over the chopped pistachios in an even layers. Cover the top of the baklava with another 15 layers of filo pastry, lightly brushing with butter between each layer.
4. Using a larger, very sharp knife, cut the baklava into portion-sized pieces - make 3 evenly spaced cuts lengthways down the tin and then cut across at an angle to make small diamond-shaped pieces (Note: I prefer to cut them into square pieces, less wastage). Drizzle over any remaining butter. Bake the baklava for 1 hour until crisp and richly golden.
5. Meanwhile, for the sugar syrup, put the sugar and 350 ml water into a pan and leave over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Then bring to the boil and simmer vigorously until it reaches 107-108C, the 'thread' stage - you will need a sugar thermometer to check. Add the lemon juice to the syrup and set aside.
6. A minute or two before the baklava is ready to come out of the oven, bring the sugar syrup back up to the boil. Remove the baklava from the oven, quickly and carefully run a knife along the cuts to check the pieces are all separated, then immediately pour over the hot syrup. This will look like a large amount, but it will gradually be absorbed by the pastry as it cools. Leave the baklava to go cold, then carefully remove from the tin to serve.

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey

So I heard...

His food obsession is Greek yogurt with blueberries. - ROBsessedpattinson.com. "It is reported that Rob loved Greek yogurt while filming 'Remember Me'." - Twilightseries.co.za. So I made one for myself.... I like it drizzled with honey.

Greek yogurt with blueberries is a healthy obsession.

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 glass of Greek Yogurt
• A handful of Blueberries
• Honey

Method

1. Fill 3/4 glass with your favourite brand of Greek yogurt. Top it with a handful of blueberries.
2. Drizzle with honey.

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken

This is the sort of food I love in Greece, What Debbie Major, who works with me, calls 'a rustic, throw-it-together dish.' The more I watched cooks there, the more I was filled with an obvious thought.: that cooking shouldn't be difficult. They seem to cook just like breathing. Thrown-together such dishes may appear, but their ingredients are always perfectly balanced. This is a sweet and aromatic mix of sun-dried tomato, onion, oregano, cinnamon and chillies; best served with the rice-shaped pasta known to us by its Italian name, orzo.

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken Recipe (Serves 4)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)

Ingredients

• 1 x 2-kg free-range chicken
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 60 g sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 500 g vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 400-g can chopped tomatoes
• 7.5-cm piece cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A generous pinch of crushed dried chillies
• 150 ml chicken stock
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Season the inside of the chicken. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole., add the chicken and brown it on all sides over a medium heat.
2. Remove the chicken to a plate, add the remaining oil and the onion to the casserole and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh or canned tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, dried chili flakes, chicken stock, 1 tsp of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, replace the chicken and cover the casserole with some foil and a tight-fitting lid.
3. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is very tender.
4. When the chicken is cooked, and the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear, life it into a carving board, cover it tightly with foil and leave it to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes. Skim the excess fat from the surface of the sauce, place the casserole over a medium heat and leave to simmer vigorously until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce, stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning to taste. Carve the chicken. Spoon some of the sauce onto 4 warmed plates and place the chicken on top.
6. Serve with orzo, rice or crusty bread.