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A delicious Persian baklava made with pistachios instead of the more commonly used walnuts.
Ingredients :
For the baklava base
- 1 package of phyllo (fillo) dough, thawed
- 1 stick + 1 tablespoon butter
- 1.5 cups unsalted crushed pistachios
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon rosewater (golab)
For the syrup :
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions :
- Prepare the syrup by combining all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the ingredients for the syrup to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool. The syrup can be prepared a day in advance.
- If needed, prep your pistachios by peeling and chopping them (a food processor is ideal, but I did mine in a Ziploc bag and a blunt object!).
- While your oven is preheating to 350 degrees, melt one stick of butter. Use some to butter a baking dish, and keep the rest to brush onto your phyllo dough layers, which will make your baklava flaky and delicious.
- Prepare the nuts by mixing it with a teaspoon of sugar and rosewater. Keep it in a bowl with a spoon nearby.
- Take the phyllo dough out of the freezer and keep it next to you with a damp towel draped over it to keep it moist while you work, otherwise it will dry out and rip on you.
- Flour your working surface, and begin by laying down the first sheet of phyllo dough. Brush the entire sheet with butter. Repeat this two more times so that you have 3 sheets of phyllo dough coated in butter.