Perfect pastries

Every restaurant and market I came across in Greece was selling Baklava – beautiful little golden squares of filo pastry layered with butter and nuts and gilded with super-sweet sugar syrup – each little piece ready for a dessert or as a sweet bite with coffee or tea. They seemed as Greek to me as Retsina or Spanikopita but there are many places in the Middle East that claim Baklava as their own. Indeed, I found one document recently that suggested that it originated from China! In trying to get to the bottom of this I have turned to the renowned authority on Middle Eastern Cookery Claudia Roden. In her book Middle Eastern Food Claudia states that ‘the pastries are not mentioned in medieval Persian or Arab works, and seem to have made their appearance in the region during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Can they be Turkish in origin, or Greek? Greek I suspect.’ So I’m with Claudia and the rest of Greece – Baklava is theirs and jolly good it is too! Not content with leaving things just as they are, however, I returned from Greece and decided that a savoury version of this tasty pastry could be really rather interesting. So here is my creation, flavoured with rich red onion marmalade and feta cheese – just like the sweet version you need very little to hit the spot!

Savoury feta & onion Baklava with honey

Baklava has long been enjoyed across Greece and Turkey as well as the Middle East, but it’s traditionally a sweet pastry filled with chopped nuts and drenched in honey or syrup. This is my savoury version, which uses ready-made onion marmalade to save time.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30–35 minutes
Serves: 8–10

1 x 340g jar of good quality onion marmalade
2 tsp ground cinnamon
20g bunch dill, roughly chopped
100g walnut pieces
75g Bertolli spread, melted
12 sheets (approx. 40 x 30cm or 250g) filo pastry
200g feta, crumbled
75g Greek Malaka cheese (or cow’s milk cooking mozzarella), coarsely grated
2 tbsp clear honey
Tzatziki and salad leaves, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Mix the onion marmalade, cinnamon and dill together in a bowl. Blitz the walnut pieces in a food processor into slightly smaller pieces, but avoid grinding to a powder as you want plenty of texture.
2. Grease a small metal roasting or cake tin (approx. 20–30 x 20cm) with some melted Bertolli. Line the base and sides of the tin with a sheet of filo, brush with Bertolli and repeat to make 4 layers of pastry (cover any remaining pastry with a damp tea towel between uses).
3. Spread half of the onion mixture over the pastry, top with half of the walnuts, half of the feta and the mozzarella. Arrange another 4 layers of filo over the top, brushing with Bertolli between each one. Top with the remaining onions, walnuts and cheeses. Pull any overhanging filo at the sides of the tin over the top of the filling. Finally top neatly with the last 4 layers of filo, each brushed with Bertolli, folding them to fit. Lightly score the top in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife. Sprinkle lightly with a little cold water.
4. Bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle with honey and serve warm or cold with salad leaves and spoonfuls of tzatziki.

Cook’s tip: If you would rather not use ready-made marmalade or have some onions that need using, slowly cook several thinly sliced onions in some Bertolli spread, a touch of caster sugar and balsamic vinegar over a low heat until golden. This will take about 40 minutes. Season to taste with more sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper, then leave to cool before using.

Typical Nutrient Values per 243g Serving
Calories 428kcal 21%
Sugars 26.7g 30%
Fat 23.7g 34%
Saturates 8g 40%
Salt 1.74g 29%
% of an adult’s guideline daily amount * Based on GDAs for women

Category:

Chania, Crete, Food, Greece, Recipe, Uncategorized

Tags:

• baklava
• Cretan food
• Food
• Greece
• Greek
• market
• Recipe
• retsina
• spanikopita

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Every restaurant and market I came across in Greece was selling Baklava – beautiful little golden squares of filo pastry layered with butter and nuts and gilded with super-sweet sugar syrup

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